


Episode 29 - Out of Time

by stgjr



Series: "The Power of a Name" Series 3 - "Time Lord Penitent" [29]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Multi-Fandom
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Multiverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-23 07:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11398299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgjr/pseuds/stgjr
Summary: Korra's entire timeline is being erased and only our narrator can do anything about it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on June 30th, 2015.

Disasters. Everyone dreads them. And nobody dreads them quite like the experts who deal in their fields. A meteorologist watching a giant storm cause a tidal surge that annihilates a coastal zone. A seismologist seeing an earthquake level a city. A nuclear physicist watching the horizon and seeing cities vanish under mushroom clouds.  
  
Imagine their horror. Their despair at seeing the things they have made their life's work destroy lives on a colossal scale. Think about that.  
  
Thinking about it? Good.  
  
Now imagine what a time traveler would consider to be such a disaster.  
  
Because that is exactly what this was.  
  
The Cloister Bell in the TARDIS was still going off, _BOOOOONG_ -ing over and over again. Liara looked at me in stunned disbelief. "The end of the universe...?" she asked.  
  
"What is going on?!", Raiko demanded, suddenly finding his voice. Oh, lucky me. "Why did they leave? What's..."  
  
"It's a Time Crash," I said. "Xuandi has created a paradox in the past and is going to collapse your entire timeline into nothingness."  
  
Raiko gave me a skeptical look, but it vanished some when he looked back out at the white wall of energy coming toward us. It was starting to consume the water front. "We need to get to shelter," he nearly stammered.  
  
"There is no shelter," I answered. "Not from that." I pointed to the TARDIS. "Only in there." I pointed to it. "Everyone inside, now! We've got to get out of here!"  
  
I turned back to the TARDIS and got to the door with Liara. A moment after we entered we were both thrown off our feet. The TARDIS jostled as the ground beneath it surged and the entrance was covered with rock. From the other side I could hear the sounds of battle breaking out. "Liara, the door!", I screamed. "We've got to clear it."  
  
"Can't we just phase around it?", she asked.  
  
"Not in a Time Crash event!", I shouted back. "It's warping space-time as it closes in, I could materialize us halfway across town on accident!" A glance at the monitor showed the wave of energy had already to the block. We only had seconds left...! I held out my sonic and used it to remotely command the TARDIS to throw up a defensive field made of its own pocket dimension. Warning buzzers went off and the lights went red. The TARDIS couldn't do this forever, not against this kind of event.  
  
Liara gathered her strength and slammed at the rock with a great pulse of dark matter. It shattered and flew away. Beyond I could see the white light of the Time Crash event. It had come through the far side of the wall and stopped about a hundred meters from the TARDIS. Marble flooring and other bits of stone and metal were flying everywhere, along with flames and bursts of air. The Dai Li had returned in force and.... I watched in fascinated horror as one of their Earthbenders came to his ally's defense against Mako by tearing the floor out from under him and using it to sling him at that same far wall. Mako tried to stop himself in mid flight by firebending from his feet. The Dai Li agent caught him in the head with a chunk of stone from the wall. Blood rushed from a broken nose at the impact, but most importantly, Mako lost his concentration and hit the energy.  
  
And all I could do was watch as the energy swallowed him up. And he was gone. Erased.  
  
There was an agonized scream of " _ **MAKO!**_ " I recognized it as Bolin.  
  
Within moments, the Earthbender Mako had been fighting off did the same move. And it was Raiko and Wu being erased from existence.  
  
"Are you mad?!", I shouted in disbelief. "Everything is being erased! You need to stop fighting and come with us!"  
  
Their reaction was two of them gesturing upward and then pulling down. I jumped back and realized what they were doing. They were pulling the roof to fall down upon me and the TARDIS.  
  
Then they went flying backward, taking full repulsor blast hits that sent them into the white light. They, too, were gone. Asami moved in front of me. I almost asked why before seeing her reason. Korra and Jinora moved beside her with Katara held between them. "Take her," Korra insisted, so I did, gesturing toward my medical kits for Jinora's benefit. She turned and went back into the fight, throwing a mix of Firebending punches and kicks to get one of the Dai Li agents away from Kuvira's table.  
  
"Doctor, maybe I should..."  
  
"Stay at the controls, Liara," I insisted, setting Katara down on one of the flights of stairs leading to the upper deck. "I might need you to pull the activation lever at a second's notice."  
  
Liara nodded at that and went to the control station while Jinora took out the medical kit and all those handy instructions I had placed on it. I returned to watch Korra continue her efforts to protect those at Kuvira's table.  
  
Now that I looked at the aforementioned table, I could see their status. Varrick and Zhu-Li were nowhere to be seen. I had the horrifying suspicion they'd already been dealt with like Mako,Wu, and Raiko, and that only Korra had prevented this from happening again to Bataar Jr. He was kneeling beside Kuvira, who was on all fours and covered in dust. A cut across her forehead had led to blood covering half of her face. Whatever head injury that was, it had left her disorientated and out of the fight. Bataar Jr. looked up and shouted, "Bolin, _help me!_ "  
  
He did get Bolin's attention, but he was already in place helping Opal and Tenzin, the latter of whom was also favoring his leg. I cursed; everything was going on so _fast_. The Dai Li were pressing everyone and only Korra and Asami were keeping them from hitting the TARDIS directly.  
  
" _Corporal, that is a direct order!_ ", Bataar Jr. shouted, trying to get Kuvira up by himself. I could see why he couldn't, with the way his leg was bent the wrong way. They'd crippled him with a direct hit.  
  
Bolin looked to them. And back to Opal. He had already lost Mako and I could see the tension in his face. On the one hand, he believed in what Kuvira was doing for the Earth Kingdom. On the other hand... he was in love.  
  
There was a crackling from the ceiling. Several of the remaining Dai Li, acting together, were tearing the stone from the floor above down on top of us. I used the sonic to activate the TARDIS' defense forcefield, protecting us at least, but with all power going to hold back the Time Crash I couldn't protect Korra and Asami.  
  
The debris that resulted was going to crush Korra, and I called out to her. But she was in the middle of hefting her own piece of stone at the Dai Li and didn't have time to react to me.  
  
Asami saw it coming too, and she jumped onto Korra to push her away. She almost got clear, too, but the weight of all that stone came down on her legs. The armor kept them from being hurt, undoubtedly, but she ended up pinned, and I could hear the sounds of her leg repulsors failing to activate fully. They'd been damaged.  
  
"Bolin, help them!", Opal cried out, and Bolin moved to do so.  
  
"Asami!" Korra started bending the stones off Asami's pinned legs. "Hold on, I'll get you out."  
  
I grit my teeth. I almost stepped out to help but I had to be here, at the TARDIS door, if things were to go wrong. Whatever happened here, the real solution was in the past, where Xuandi and his lieutenants were clear to cause havoc. And if we didn't get out of here, nothing would be saved.  
  
Bolin ran up, pulling some stones off Asami's legs, while Asami twisted enough to use one of her repulsors on the Dai Li, sending another one down before he could dodge. Asami looked back down. "I can't get the armor to unlock," she said. "But I can almost get to the manual release, just a bit more."  
  
I heard a popping sound and looked back to see sparking coming from the TARDIS controls. Jinora, currently with the young Katara, looked up. "What's wrong with it?', she asked.  
  
"The pressure of the timeline collapse is becoming too great," I said. "The TARDIS' field is failing." I looked back and shouted, "We have to go, now! Before..."  
  
The white light beyond rushed into the room with a speed that was terrifying. Several unconscious Dai Li agents disappeared within it. I raced back top the controls and turned a few knobs, hit a couple levers and switches, trying to get the field to stabilize. "It's not working!", I called out. "We have to go!"  
  
After doing what I could, which amounted to slowing the rate of contraction, I went back to the door, just in time for Tenzin to look to me. I could see the intent look on his face. The showing of trust, the plea to keep his daughter safe... more than that, to save their world from the oblivion coming in toward us.  
  
Our eye contact broke and Tenzin shot forward, Airbending attack after attack, driving Dai Li agents back toward the light. They fought back, but they couldn't trip him or stoop him until the last moment.  
  
Tenzin turned that into one last attack. Air gathered at his feet as he fell through mid-air and he shot forward, powerful gusts shooting ahead of him, taking up the two Dai Li... and pushing all three into the approaching Time Crash event.  
  
This had the effect of reducing the opposition, to a few. "Opal! Bolin!" I looked back to Bataar Jr. Not able to stand, he nevertheless put all of his strength into pushing Kuvira toward them. Opal caught her, surprise on her face at doing so, and looked back up to her older brother with wide eyes. "Please, keep her safe." After making that plea, Bataar turned toward the nearest Dai Li agent and began stumbling toward him. Said agent saw him coming and tried to move, but he had been walking forward to stay ahead of the white light.  
  
Bataar gathered his strength and in one burst from his unbroken leg, he crashed forward and clipped the legs out from under the Dai Li agent.  
  
The white light got them both.  
  
I looked around. There were only a few Dai Li agents left, and Korra and Bolin and Opal were holding them off. Light was already claiming the furthest one as my eyes swept over them. It was just so _frustrating_ ; these people actually thought they were creating a superior world to their own, but all Xuandi was accomplishing was the complete annihilation of everything he and they professed to love.  
  
Bolin and Opal started falling back toward the TARDIS with Kuvira on Bolin's arm. But they weren't the ones I was worried about. I turned my head back to Korra and Asami. "Asami!" Korra was too busy fighting off the remaining Dai Li by re-directing their projectiles. One chunk of rock slammed into her arm, tearing skin and sending a streak of blood from the impact point. "You've got to abandon it!" Korra changed tactics, feigning with a rock and them using an airbending kick to strike the dodging Dai Li agent hard enough to knock him almost back to the light.  
  
"I'm trying!", Asami shouted, trying to move one last piece of rubble that was covering her manual release. She'd pulled off her helmet and I could see the evident frustration in it. All of her work in designing the suit, and she'd still missed something, whatever flaw or defect had kept her automatic systems from working.  
  
There was a metallic click. Asami's armor shifted under the rubble, disengaging from her completely and allowing her to pull free. She scrambled up and struck by a thrown chunk of what looked like marble. It looked like it had hit her somewhere around the neck and it sent Asami to all fours, dazed by the blow.  
  
Korra intercepted the next thrown and, with one fierce cry, sent such a plume of flame at the Dai Li agent that he caught fire and stumbled backward into the light's path.  
  
With her opponent erased from existence, Korra went to Asami and helped her up. She hugged Asami tightly and began to pull her toward the TARDIS.  
  
Bolin and Opal made it and I urged them inside. I looked out again. Twenty meters. Just twenty, and the wall was advancing at the pace of about a meter every other second. We were out of time. "Korra, Asami, hurry!"  
  
It was just as I finished saying that when movement came to my eyes from behind them. A Dai Li agent had gotten almost to his feet. The white light was almost upon him, but he was ignoring it, instead gesturing upward and...  
  
I screamed a warning to Korra and Asami. They glanced upward at the stone that was falling toward them and tried to get out of the way.  
  
They wouldn't make it, though.  
  
And Korra seemed to realize that, as she sacrificed her own momentum to shove Asami out from under the falling rocks. And she had mostly gotten clear herself.  
  
But not enough, as the stone from the ceiling came down on her legs and waist and pinned Korra to the ground, belly first.  
  
There was a slight mumble of satisfaction and the Dai Li agent responsible vanished in the white light.  
  
Asami recovered and turned back. "Korra!", she shouted, and she knelt down over her and started trying to remove the stone. I could see it was extremely heavy, to the point that Asami couldn't lift it, and the way it held Korra's body down she couldn't easily Earthbend it, or do anything within the extremely short time window they had left. I turned and saw where Bolin was helping Opal sit down. "Bolin!", I cried out. But even as I said so, a part of me recognized the truth.  
  
We didn't have time anymore.  
  
 _We had to go._  
  
Korra looked at me and then turned her head enough to see the approaching light from another direction. "Asami, we don't have time!", she shouted. "Go on!"  
  
"I'm not leaving you here!", Asami screamed back.  
  
The light was almost on them. And I couldn't do anything. We were out of time.  
  
Korra pleaded, "Asami, _please_."  
  
"Not again." I could hear the sob in Asami's voice, could imagine the tears starting to well in her eyes. "I can't leave you again."  
  
"Asami, come on!", I shouted. "There's nothing we can do!" Horror built in my hearts as the white light came another meter closer. They only had seconds left....!  
  
I almost stopped caring at that point. I was ready to step out anyway. I couldn't stand here and watch them both vanish, could I? Even if I might prevent it because, of course, that's never guaranteed right? It was all abstract, but this was real. My former Companions, friends that I had shown the wonders of the Multiverse to, were about to get wiped out of existence. And I couldn't just stand here and do nothing about it.  
  
I might have done something monumentally stupid at that point if not for Korra.  
  
"Asami, I'm sorry," I heard her say.  
  
Although she wasn't orientated to use her bending to save herself, Korra still had enough of her arm free to use it to bend something else. Or, rather, to generate a massive gust of air with a movement of her arm. The column of air slammed into Asami and threw her into the entrance of the TARDIS. I grabbed her as she started to move back toward Korra. " _Let me go!_ ," she shrieked.  
  
"It's too late!"  
  
And indeed it was. The Time Crash energy had reached Korra. She was pinned in a way that we didn't see it take her legs, but I knew they were under the rubble it claimed.  
  
Even with all of my Time Lord strength, for a moment I thought Asami would tear herself from my grip. " _ **KORRA!**_ ", she screamed.  
  
Korra looked at us with her blue eyes teared up and a sad smile on her face. I nodded at her. I knew what she meant. She had faith that I'd stop this. That I'd undo whatever it was Xuandi did in the past. That this all wouldn't be for nothing.  
  
The light moved over the rest of Korra. Her eyes focused on Asami. And I thought I could see her mouth moving again as the light came over her head. But I didn't hear anything.  
  
And then it was over.  
  
Korra... was gone.  
  
Erased from existence by the nullification of her entire timeline.  
  
Asami sagged in my grip. Her sobbing had become intense, hysterical, and it was heart-breaking. " ** _NO!_** "  
  
With pain and rage in my hearts, I snapped my fingers and the TARDIS doors closed. " _Liara! Now!_ "  
  
Liara did as I had instructed. She pulled back on the TARDIS' main activation lever.  
  
 _VWORP VWORP VWORP_ replied the TARDIS' engine, and my girl knew exactly what she had to do. We shot off into the Time Vortex to escape the doomed world.  
  
Bolin was looking back at us now, watching Asami cry in my arms, and his face turned pale. "Where's Korra?" It was clear he knew the answer even as he asked it. Tears welled in his eyes and he sagged back into the railing, where Opal caught him and held him close.  
  
I was already looking toward Liara. Concern showed on her features, and it wasn't just about our situation. I think she could tell how my mood was going.  
  
Seeing that... seeing a Companion, even a former one, wiped from existence, her loved one left sobbing in my arms.... it made me think things.  
  
Dark things.  
  
And I found myself certain that if I caught Xuandi and this proved irreversible...  
  
...well then. Ryan Steiner would have some company in the Source Wall.  
  
But I couldn't think that. I had to think about saving them. Mako, Tenzin, Pema and the other children, even Raiko and Wu and Varrick.  
  
Korra.  
  
I was going to save them. That's all there was to it.  
  
I was going to _stop this_.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sometimes, after terrible things happen, you just have to push it away and focus on the here and now.  
  
We had escaped from the Time Crash event and were not in any immediate danger, so there was time to do things that needed to be done. Dealing with the wounded, for instance, which meant that Katara - the young Katara that had appeared, that is - and Kuvira were aided. Katara was still asleep in the library under the watchful eye of Jinora while Kuvira had joined us in the control room. She was still hurt but, as I had to point out, head injuries and sleep don't always go well together.  
  
She opened up the conversation. "Where is Bataar?"  
  
"Gone," I said. "Erased from existence."  
  
Her expression looked hard. But... brittle. Like it would break if actually pressed in the wrong way. "Why? Why didn't you save him too?"  
  
Bolin answered before I could. "He sacrificed himself to save you, Kuvira."  
  
Her look softened slightly, but still kept that brittle edge. Whatever else she was, Kuvira was apparently a believer in hiding her feelings as well as she could.  
  
Opal looked at me. "What happened back there? You said something about time machines and..."  
  
"Time Crash," I answered. I wasn't actually looking at her. I had turned my head over the railing to look down to where Asami was sitting alone on the lower level of the control room, staring off into space. "Xuandi changed something in the past without realizing what it could do."  
  
Bolin gave me a confused look. "But didn't we change history too? Saving all of those Air Nomads?"  
  
I sighed. "That was different. For one thing, we didn't disrupt history. The people we took were those who were not fully accounted as deaths. Frankly, we didn't change history so much as tweak with it. And we did it with the TARDIS, which can act as a stabilizing agent upon the timeline." I shook my head. "Vortex manipulators don't have that level of safety built into them. Instead Xuandi changed a crucial point in history. It may have even been a Fixed Point, we'll have to see."  
  
Kuvira nodded. "I think our mission is clear."  
  
"Right. We go back and stop Xuandi and his lieutenants from whatever they changed."  
  
"We know they attacked Avatar Aang," Opal said. "And when he was really young too. We should go to that point in time."  
  
I shook my head. "We need the right point in time. And it's going to be hard. With the damage to your world's space-time, I'll need a very solid coordinate lock. If I miss in the wrong direction, well, it might make it even harder to stop him."  
  
"Well, you could always use the time machine thing that was on that girl's wrist!"  
  
The voice came from below without explanation or expectation. We all looked down the railing to see where one of my collections of gear was now strewn about, having served as a hiding place for Varrick and Zhu-Li. "Nice place you got down here, Doctor," Varrick said. "You're going to have to tell me how some of this stuff works!"  
  
" _Varrick?_ ", I spluttered. "Where... how did you get in here?!"  
  
"Slipped in while the others were keeping those black-robed stooges busy!", Varrick answered, smiling widely. "Almost said something, but you were tinkering with your knobs and it looked pretty important. Oh, and, Zhu Li, make a memo! No time travel devices. Not worth the trouble!"  
  
"Yes sir," his assistant answered.  
  
"Alright, good to see you, just... don't touch anything down there."  
  
"Doctor." Liara's voice prompted me to look up at her. "I think Varrick might have a good idea. Can't you use the vortex manipulator to track where Xuandi went?"  
  
"Possible," I said. "Although that still won't tell us what happened. We'll need Katara to wake up and tell us what happened. We can plan for dealing with Xuandi then."  
  
"She was badly wounded," Liara said. "It may take her a few more hours to recuperate."  
  
I nodded at that. "Make sure she's comfortable. I don't want her feeling cornered when we talk."  
  
Liara nodded. We all dispersed to various corners. I kept a close eye on Varrick and Zhu Li as they met up with Kuvira and talked. Bolin was sitting with Opal at the upper level, the two comforting each other.  
  
I went to the stairs and walked down. I passed Asami on the way, but she still did not stir. I took a few minutes to clean up where Varrick and Zhu Li had been hiding and took great care in making sure all of my technology was accounted for. When I was done I turned back to Asami. Without a word I pulled a wheeled chair out of the corner and rolled it closer to her before sitting in it. I simply looked at her for the moment. The tear streaks dried on her dear face. The red in her green eyes from all of the crying. She looked utterly devastated. She had lost everything. Everyone.  
  
Truly everyone.  
  
Memories zipped through my mind, the travels we had made together, the times spent in common. The way they had sometimes looked at each other, behaved around each other, laughed and teased and cried.  
  
And the sight of Asami holding Korra's hand after she had spent herself in fixing the world-bound Mind of what would have become the technology-less world of the Change.  
  
These thoughts went through me and I began to see, for the first time, what I had not seen before. What I had not bothered to see.  
  
"Jan and Cami were right. I am _oblivious_ ," I sighed.  
  
She didn't react to that.  
  
"How long?", I asked quietly.  
  
Asami looked at me. But she didn't make a sound.  
  
"How long, Asami?", I asked, keeping my tone quiet and soft. "How long since you realized you were in love with Korra?"  
  
She lowered her eyes. "I can't say... I'm... not very sure." She shivered. "I just remember when I stopped lying to myself about it. I remember watching Korra dying from Zaheer's poison and realizing how much she meant to me."  
  
I nodded. That sounded, well, authentic I suppose. I could see that quite clearly, yes.  
  
Asami continued. "After a while I started to wonder if I was just overreacting to what happened. Maybe it was just to fool myself with her being gone for so long. But then we went traveling with you and I realized how much she meant to me." She wiped at the fresh tears coming down her cheeks.  
  
I nodded. "I see. I... didn't think it was like that. Thought you two were just really close, like adopted sisters or something."  
  
Asami sniffled. "Maybe... that's how I thought we'd end up. But it's more. At least, it is for me."  
  
When she said that, I thought back to the final moments before the Time Crash claimed Korra. I hadn't heard what she was saying. I'm not sure why. Maybe she was so choked with emotion she couldn't say it very loudly.  
  
But with that scene in my head again, I was pretty sure she spoke three very important words to Asami.  
  
"I think you might find she feels the same way," I said to her.  
  
"I made those suits to protect her," Asami continued, sniffling louder. "So I wouldn't have to go through that again. But... _it's my fault. If I hadn't been caught in the armor she'd..._ "  
  
I reached over and took her shoulders with my hands. "If you hadn't been wearing that armor, we would never have gotten out of there. You were a big help." Plus the debris would have shattered her legs when it fell on her, I was sure, but I didn't add that.  
  
"But I messed it up... I didn't test the emergency release enough," Asami sobbed. "We could have both gotten clear if I'd..."  
  
"Asami, _this isn't your fault_ ," I insisted.  
  
For a moment she did nothing but sob. I said nothing more. I did offer her an embrace, which she accepted. "We'll get her back," I promised, speaking directly into her right ear. "We'll get them all back."  
  
I sat with her for the time being. My words alone would not stop her from blaming herself. Not just for what actually happened, but for everything before. Asami had given up time with Korra, time she might never have again now, to create something that had now backfired on the cause it was made for.  
  
It's not that Asami was wrong for thinking of using the technology that way. The way she went about it, though. That had come at a cost. And now she was paying it.  
  
"Promise me," I heard her say. "Promise me we'll get her back."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Say it. Say the words."  
  
"I promise you, Asami, that we'll get Korra back. We'll stop Xuandi."  
  
After a few moments she seemed to calm down some. I let her pull away from me and start composing herself. "Okay," she said. "Okay, I'm... I'm ready. What do we do now?"  
  
Before I could answer, I noticed movement above us and saw Zhu Li appear at the top of the stairs. "Mister Varrick wanted you to know that the 'young' Katara is starting to wake up."  
  
"Well, that's good news," I said. "Let's go find out what we need to do."  
  
  
  
  
When we got to the library Katara was already starting to stir. Her eyes opened and she sat up slowly, not seeming to notice Jinora nearby waiting. She made a soft groan and winced. Her eyes blinked.  
  
And then her eyes widened. She scrambled off the couch and tried to runaway, heading to the nearest door out. I held up the sonic and remotely closed the door. She hit it and turned around, arms raised in a defensive position. Even with the pool sealed away, I realized that she might still try to draw moisture from the air. She wouldn't get a lot, but she wouldn't need a lot either. Katara could be very dangerous if left cornered like this.  
  
Everyone seemed to have the same thought. We all stood back and let Jinora approach her first. "You're okay," she assured Katara. "You're safe. You're with friends."  
  
Katara took several breaths before calming and lowering her arms. "You're an Air Acolyte," she said. "But I don't recognize you from the Yu Dao chapter."  
  
"What do you remember?", Jinora asked. "About what happened to you."  
  
"Where am I?", Katara asked, looking around at us. I quickly checked and made sure Liara had activated her holobelt. It kept things from becoming too tense for the moment. "What is this place?" Katara looked intently at Jinora again. Her eyes widened slightly.  
  
Of course. Jinora... well, take away the hair and she might as well be Aang, at least until she finished maturing physically.  
  
"You..." Katara shook her head. "You called me... you called me _Gran-Gran_." Her eyes focused on Jinora. " _Who are you? What's going on?!_ "  
  
"It's... going to take some explaining, Katara," Jinora said gently. "But we're here to help you."  
  
Katara, meanwhile, was looking down at the vortex manipulator on her left wrist. I had disabled it for safety's sake. "What is this...? What did it do to me?"  
  
"This is going to be hard for you to understand." Jinora stepped up and took her hand. "The machine you put on. It's some sort of time travel device. You came to the future."  
  
Katara simply stared at her. "The future...? No. But.... who was that horrible man? What do you have to do with him?!" There was fury showing in her expression now.  
  
"He's from our time. He's the leader of the Dai Li. Katara, please, come and sit down." Jinora motioned to the couch. "You need to rest and tell us what happened."  
  
"Who are you?!", Katara demanded. "I'm not doing anything until someone explains where I am and what's going on...?!"  
  
Jinora looked back at us. I nodded and stepped through the others. "I'm the Doctor," I introduced myself. "You're on board my TARDIS, Katara. It's a ship. Specifically, it's a time ship, and here you are safe." I motioned to Jinora. "And this is Jinora. She's... well..." I sighed. "Oh, this is always difficult to explain with people not familiar with the concept of time travel... she's your granddaughter, Katara. You traveled about seventy years into your future when you turned on that device, and Jinora is your granddaughter."  
  
Liara looked at me with concern. I returned it with a look urging her to be patient.  
  
Katara was just staring. She looked to the device. She looked to me. And then she looked at Jinora again. Jinora smiled and produced some spare beads from her pocket, which she caused to spin around in the air, just like Aang had once loved to do. Katara stared at that.  
  
"Do we really have time for this?", Kuvira asked.  
  
"We're in the Time Vortex, we have all the time we need," I shot back.  
  
Katara stepped forward and put a hand on Jinora's face, prompting her to put the beads back. "You... look like him so much."  
  
Jinora smiled. I thought I heard a little sniffle in her voice. "My father, Aunt Kya and Uncle Bumi, they've always said I looked like Aang. Lord Zuko said it too after I got my master tattoos and had to shave my hair."  
  
Hearing Zuko's name seemed to bring pain to Katara. "But he's... They're..." We all watched as she started to break down weeping. "They're all gone. They're all dead." She cried into Jinora's shoulder. The pain and horror of what she had endured due to Xuandi in the past, it all finally came out.  
  
I felt my jaw tighten. "I thought as much. It was a Dai Li man, yes?"  
  
"It all happened so fast. The explosion, and the attack, and then the armies..."  
  
I nodded and stepped forward. I got onto one knee to be more level with Katara's head. "Katara, I know this is a lot to take in. But I need to know what happened. It's the only way to stop them from succeeding."  
  
"What do you mean?", she asked.  
  
"We're going to stop them from doing... whatever they did," I explained. "We have to. The man who did this, he doesn't realize what he's caused. His attempt to change history is unraveling space-time and could destroy your entire world. Past, present, and future, all gone." I swallowed. "I understand it's a _lot_ to take in. And I haven't even properly introduced you to Liara yet, but..."  
  
A look was coming over Katara's face now. She looked at me intently. "You said you can stop them? You can make it to where they never... you can save my brother and my friends? You can save _Aang_?"  
  
I nodded. "That's the plan."  
  
There it was. Whatever her confusion, or all the pain and grief she felt, having that possibility held out to her was enough to cut through it all. Rapid introduction to time travel and Time Lords and TARDISes and her own future granddaughter, that all melted away against what I had just said. I just told her we were out to save the people she loved. That there was still hope for them.  
  
Her voice turned a little sharp when she asked, "What do you need to know?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning from Katara of what Xuandi and his Dai Li did in the past, our narrator and his allies from Republic City begin their plan to prevent the destruction of their world and to bring back Korra and the others erased from existence.

A glass of water provided some refreshment for Katara, who I gave the best chair to. I pulled up a smaller one and everyone else took to standing or couches. We let her drink her fill. I offered a container to her. She pulled out one of the small pieces inside - a blue one naturally - and looked at me.  
  
"It's a chocolate candy," I said.  
  
She blinked and put it into her mouth. Apparently it was not disagreeable.  
  
"You're... just handing her candy?", Opal asked.  
  
"Eh, handing out confectionery sweets is sort of a Doctor-y thing, whether it's a jellybaby or an M&M," I replied. I took out a handful and held them out. "Want one?"  
  
Opal gave Bolin a confused look. He shrugged. "They're actually pretty good." That was apparently sufficient for her. They both claimed a few.  
  
"Anyone else?", I asked.  
  
I got a bemused and sad smile from Asami. Kuvira looked quietly frustrated. But neither accepted.  
  
Varrick, on the other hand, was quick to grab the entire handful. He tried one immediately. Slowly his eyes widened. "Hrm, melting in my mouth, but not my hand... excellent! Zhu Li, make a memo! Varrimelts! They melt in your mouth, not in your hand!"  
  
I rolled my eyes and decided not to think about the possibility of cross-dimensional copyright infringement. Instead it was time to hear what Katara had to say. "Are you ready?", I asked her.  
  
Katara nodded. That haunted look had returned to her eyes. For a moment I thought she might be reconsidering, but she took in a breath and began.  
  
And it filled in everything for me.  
  
It was the founding of the Republic, or at least the stage for it. She and the others had come to Yu Dao so that Aang could oversee the treaty signing between Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei recognizing that the former Fire Nation colonies along the northwestern coast of the Earth Kingdom's continent were to become an independent state.  
  
"Everyone had concerns," she said. "The New Ozaii Society, the Dai Li, the Freedom Fighters, there were a lot of people who wanted Aang's plan to fail. So Zuko and Kuei had some of their troops there just in case there was an attack. They were supposed to be there to work together and protect peace."  
  
"But it didn't turn out that way," I sighed, figuring how _that_ part of the story went.  
  
She nodded and continued. At the appointed hour everyone had gathered...  
  
And it had all gone wrong. An explosion. A series of them following. Zuko and Kuei died in the blast and Aang was seriously hurt. Dai Li agents moved in next; presumably those of their time, but led by two figures that by description I figured to be Guan and Zhang.  
  
In slow, horrifying detail, Katara covered what happened next. The massacre of the surviving delegates and witnesses. The desperate fight to escape with the sacrifice of Mai and half of the Kiyoshi Warriors. It sounded like Zhang in particular had been particularly brutal in killing everyone who stood in her way.  
  
Escape had led them into a war zone. Xuandi had taken command of the Earth Kingdom forces and attacked the Fire Nation's forces, and the fighting had led them all into Yu Dao. With Zhang in pursuit of them, Aang and his friends had been on the run through the fighting, doing what they could to stop it where possible. Kori Morishita's militia had come to their aid by the end of the chase, but it had still ended up the same; Xuandi, Zhang, and the Dai Li attacking them and overwhelming them.  
  
There was real pain in Katara's voice as she described how their allies fell, one by one, under that onslaught. A bit of pride too; Sokka had noticed the vortex manipulator on Xuandi's wrist, and Suki and Ty Lee slipped through the attackers to wrest it from him, but at a cost. Even without a telepathic connection I could imagine what it had been like, seeing Suki cut down by Zhang. Toph taking out Guan and half of the Dai Li before being crushed by Xuandi. Ty Lee's chi-blocking nullifying Zhang, just for her to land a fatal cut with the blade hidden in her sleeve.  
  
The tears were flowing down Katara's face as she described Aang saving them in the Avatar State, but at the cost of his own life due to the severity of his injuries. I got the sense from her that after he came out of the State they exchanged words, but I was not going to pry. And her brother's sacrifice was equally key. Sokka had, upon examination of the manipulator, recognized the Earth Kingdom writing for time, and...  
  
"Wait." Bolin held a hand up. "If this thingie comes from an alternate world or cosmos or whatever it is, how could anyone from our world read it?"  
  
I frowned. There were indeed some unanswered questions about the apparent skill in which Xuandi used that device. "I'm not sure how he started using it," I said, keeping the irritation and apprehension out of my voice, "but once he'd activated it and taken control of the manipulator, its controls have a neural interface to determine the necessary ways to display information for the user. It would have used Earth Kingdom language. And I would imagine Sokka is quite used to reading Earth Kingdom." I looked to Katara, who nodded. "Please, continue."  
  
There wasn't much left to the story. Sokka figured out that one of the keys was for the manipulator's recall command. Although Katara said she wasn't sure what he had in mind, I imagine their circumstances were such that Sokka hadn't had time to explain. But I imagine he'd noticed the commands on the manipulator and their references to time coordinates. He's fairly imaginative, after all. And in a desperation move, he put the manipulator on Katara and instructed her to hit the key.  
  
"That man, Xuandi... he survived Aang's attack," Katara explained. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. He wanted this... manipulator back. Sokka told me to run and..."  
  
A shadow loomed over us. Asami, still looking haggard, knelt down beside us and offered a hug to Katara. "I'm sorry," she said.  
  
"I lost them," Katara cried. "I have to stop this, I have to get them back."  
  
"We will," Asami answered. "The Doctor won't stop until we undo what happened."  
  
"Right," I said. I touched the manipulator. "Can I have this, Katara?"  
  
She continued to hold Asami for a moment. I waited patiently until she was ready to let go long enough to pull the vortex manipulator off her wrist. I took it and left for the control room.  
  
  
  
  
It wasn't going to take long to figure out when Xuandi and his lieutenants arrived in the past. I set up the TARDIS to read the vortex manipulator's coordinates data and it would be a fairly simple extrapolation from that. Granted, due to the time-space variance caused by, well, the collapse of space-time, we probably wouldn't show up at the exact same moment and exact same place. But we'd be close enough. Especially since, from the sound of things, Xuandi was in the past for a short time before he actually launched that attack. He would have needed the time to gather the Dai Li of the past.  
  
Which was something of a puzzle, since that would imply he knew from the beginning he wouldn't be able to come back to his original time. And I'm not sure how he would know this.  
  
I was deep in thought, but I still heard the clank on the planks. I didn't look back before asking, "How can I help you, Kuvira?"  
  
There was silence for the moment. "Your senses are very sharp," she observed.  
  
"Time Lord senses," I reminded her. "Again, how can I help you?"  
  
"I just want to make sure we're on the same side."  
  
I turned and faced her. "I would say so."  
  
"Would you? I'm not just talking about right now, Doctor," said Kuvira. "When we succeed, I still have to deal with how the Avatar has undermined my mission."  
  
"'When we succeed'?" I gave her a look. "My, aren't you the confident one?"  
  
A hint of a smirk came to her face. "I think that's a quality we have in common, Doctor. I never permit myself to fail."  
  
"So you say." I went back to tapping a few controls. "So, what precisely is on your mind? It's not our mission, obviously."  
  
Kuvira considered me for a moment. "Even with Xuandi out of the way, I still have to deal with Avatar Korra's criticisms of my efforts to unify my people."  
  
"Ah." I nodded. "Well, I suppose that is an issue for you, isn't it?"  
  
"She's undermining my forces and giving legitimacy to the bandits and holdouts that are resisting me. The people who want the chaos to continue." Kuvira shook her head. "I don't want to have to fight the Avatar, Doctor, but I need her to take back what she said. I need her support."  
  
"And you think I can deliver that to you?"  
  
"She trusts you. If you tell her that you're confident in what I'm doing, Korra will listen to you."  
  
"Ah. I see." I nodded. "So you wish me to lie to make your job easier."  
  
Kuvira's expression didn't darken. Not entirely anyway. But I could see the frustration in it. "What are you saying?"  
  
"Did you think I was foolish, Kuvira? I heard the earliest reports back when I was Tonraq's consultant. Work camps for dissidents and opponents of your regime, forced conscription for your army, the suppression of local government and taking of hostages amongst their families..."  
  
"I only do what I have to in order to keep the peace," Kuvira insisted. "I'm not hurting anyone unless I'm forced to."  
  
I laughed at that. "Oh, that's an easy one, isn't it? 'Unless I'm forced to'. Easy qualification to make. You''d be surprised how it can get even easier over time."  
  
"Do you have a point to make?"  
  
"I'm not sure what's driving you, Kuvira, but whatever it is... I've been down this road before." I stepped up toward her. "I know what it's like to devote everything you are to making things better. You even think you're helping. But then you lose sight of the line of right and wrong. You focus on the idea of helping without thinking through what you're actually doing. The people you could be hurting. Oh, I know what that's like, I've been there, and it's a dark, dark road, Kuvira. So you might want to think really _really_ hard about it because I'd hate to see what happens otherwise."  
  
I thought I sensed some anger by the end of that. "If you won't convince Korra, then I don't know what else to do. I don't want her to become my enemy, but if the Avatar stands in my way, I'll deal with her however I have to."  
  
I narrowed my eyes. "She's my friend, so I suggest you consider that in any such eventuality, General Kuvira. I don't take kindly to people who hurt my friends."  
  
Now Kuvira narrowed her eyes. "Are you threatening me?"  
  
"I don't threaten," I answered, letting my expression harden. "I warn."  
  
Kuvira smirked slightly. "Do you really think you can intimidate me?""  
  
I kept my expression from smirking as well. It wasn't the image I wanted to convey. "You'd be surprised what I've been able to intimidate."  
  
"I have an army, " Kuvira pointed out with contempt in her voice.  
  
"I have a TARDIS," I countered.  
  
She went silent and looked around my control room. "Do you expect me to stand beside and let my people continue to suffer from chaos and anarchy, Doctor?"  
  
"No. I expect you to remember the difference between protecting your people and enslaving them," I said. "Now, I've given you your answer, and I suggest you think about what I said. You have a choice, Kuvira, and I don't want you to make the wrong one."  
  
"Oh really? Why?"  
  
I smiled grimly. "Because, Kuvira, I don't believe in second chances."  
  
"Well." She nodded. "That's another thing we have in common." And at that, she promptly walked out.  
  
I got back to work, trying not to think of what trouble Kuvira might cause me in the future.  
  
"She's going to be trouble, isn't she?"  
  
I turned again. Liara came from another of the halls. Presumably she'd gone to her room to change clothes, although in this case it meant putting on a white suit with blue trim that I knew was her preferred look for what others call "combat situations". "Kuvira seems particularly driven, doesn't she?"  
  
"She does indeed," I replied.  
  
"Do you think she'll be a problem?"  
  
"Quite possibly." I nodded. "So, what's on your mind?"  
  
"I didn't want to ask this in front of the others," Liara said, "but can we actually change this? Wouldn't it cause a paradox if we undo the event we came back to undo?"  
  
"Not like it did for Xuandi," I said. "The TARDIS stabilizes timestreams to reduce that sort of thing."  
  
"But will we remember any of this? I mean, if Xuandi doesn't succeed, we had no reason to come back... might we not just end up back where we started, without remembering?"  
  
"Slight possibility, I grant, but unlikely. Again, the TARDIS."  
  
Liara nodded. "I see. I'm sorry if the questions annoy, but we rarely actually do something like this."  
  
"Oh, it's quite alright." I looked at her and figured those were just the warm-up questions. The big one was still coming.  
  
"What's going to happen to Katara?"  
  
For a moment I just checked my systems. "What do you think?"  
  
"Goddess."  
  
"Yes. Once we stop Xuandi, well, her timeline never existed. I mean, sometimes these things create quantum realities splintered off from another, but the TARDIS and the fact that it's not a natural shift but a time travel one, those things sort of prevent that. So her timeline will never have existed, which means..."  
  
"...I'll stop existing, won't it?"  
  
I whirled around to the other port. Katara was standing there with Asami, who looked at me with widened eyes. Katara, though... she just looked... I'm not sure. Resigned, maybe.  
  
I nodded. "Possibly. Normally the TARDIS provides a sort of shield against that. But once we've averted your timeline, given how close you are to the point of origin, how there's a similar you already there... you might simply be merged with yourself, that is, the Katara who'll be there when we shift back. Or you could simply cease to exist."  
  
"So I'll die."  
  
I nodded stiffly. "I suppose... yes. It's like death."  
  
"Right." She nodded. And then, she added, "That's fine. It's good."  
  
We all stared at her for the moment. "Are you all right?", Liara asked her.  
  
"No. I watched my brother and my friends and the love of my life die, " Katara said, her tone harsh. "I don't have much to live for anymore. If I have to die to save them, then I'll die."  
  
I spoke up in opposition, keeping my tone quiet and non-confrontational. "There's always hope where there's life." As I said that, I knew it didn't mean it wouldn't be painful. If she wasn't absorbed into the other Katara or somehow nullified from existence... then what would she have? Would she fight with the other Katara over who got to actually have that life with Aang and the others? Would she have to go off and start over again, casting away everything or everyone she loved? Even if she came back with us, she'd still have another Katara in the future, an older woman who lived the life she didn't get to have, and face the same need to start her life over again.  
  
It would hurt. Yes. But at the same time... I believe in life. I've seen many species, Humans included, who have proven to me again and again that life is always worth living. That life brings a future, with many possibilities of improvement. I've seen it myself, in the human rebuilding of Earth around the luxury ship _Axiom_ (and a certain little robot friend of mine), in the shining skyscrapers of Kamina City, the asteroid communities of the New Terrans... Humans find ways to survive and to make their lives better. It's one of their admirable qualities.  
  
Asami nodded slightly. She'd seen some of those places, she knew what I meant.  
  
But I didn't think Katara was ready for such optimism. She shook her head, frowned, and turned away.  
  
I breathed in a sigh. Before I could speak again, a tone behind me drew my attention. I faced it and looked at what came up. "Ah. Here we go. Coordinates." I looked back to them and to Liara. "Alright everyone. Time to plan. Back to the library!"  
  
  
  
  
Everyone stood or sat in the library while I quickly scribbled out a map of Yu Dao. Katara described various sites as I put them in, and as a final bit, the walls were mentioned and laid out along with the camps for the protecting armies. Looking over the finished work, I sighed. "Well, at least they kept the river between Zuko's army and Kuei's."  
  
"It didn't matter, The Earthbenders bridged it in seconds," Katara pointed out.  
  
"True. But it buys us a few seconds if we need it." I looked over the map. "Okay. There will be a margin of error for when we arrive, so we might need to hurry. Given what Katara has said, there are three main threats to deal with."  
  
"The bombs, the Dai Li, and the armies," Liara noted.  
  
"Exactly," I answered. "Specifically, we have to presume that we won't be arriving early enough to prevent them from even starting their plan."  
  
"Leave those bombs to me and Zhu Li!", Varrick shouted.  
  
"And me," Asami added. She looked at Varrick. "They might be more of the bombs stolen from my company."  
  
"Slipping them into the mayor's palace might be hard, though," Liara remarked.  
  
"I can get them in," Katara said. "They know me. We'll dress them up as servants."  
  
I noticed an involuntary blush turn Asami's cheeks pink. A few of the others did as well and I was treated to a memory of sneaking into the estate of a Hutt on Nar Shaddaa. That was a fairly routine adventure, come to think of it, but Korra and Asami had spent half of it blushing as fiercely as Asami was now given their choice of what kind of distractions to make.  
  
Of course, given what I knew now, that blushing had a far more obvious reason, didn't it?  
  
"Asami?", Opal asked.  
  
"Nothing important," I said quickly. "She's just remembering the time we crashed Giradda the Hutt's palace party. That was something of a memorable evening."  
  
"Uh, yeah," Asami said in embarrassed agreement.  
  
Oh yes. Considering what I knew now, that must have been an unexpectedly trying time. I had tried to talk them into the menagerie idea. We had Naga and everything. But after I had gone in, they decided that Naga was too distracting, and they should just be servants. Which, of course, led to the issue of the usual Hutt-mandated attire for female servants.  
  
Opal was staring at Asami. "Just... what did those servants wear?"  
  
Liara folded her arms and glared at me. "Having seen Nar Shaddaa myself, I'm betting that what they wore was _very little_."  
  
"Don't look at me like that, it wasn't my idea," I protested. "I told them to go for the menagerie!"  
  
"We were very distracting," Asami managed. "Very."  
  
Opal blinked. "Really? What did they look like?"  
  
I raised my eyebrows. "Well, I think they're still in my storage room somewhere..."  
  
Asami's blush deepened. "I thought Korra was supposed to destroy them?!"  
  
"She _was_ rather tired after smacking around Giradda's bodyguards..."  
  
"I... no. No no no." Asami shook her head. "This conversation is over."  
  
"Can we get back to the operation planning?", Kuvira asked with evident exasperation.  
  
It was probably for the best. Behind the blush I could see Asami was starting to hurt. This entire conversation wasn't just reminding her of an embarrassing moment. Korra should be here with us too, but she wasn't. "Right. So Katara will get them in to go after the bombs. I'll give you handheld scanners that should detect the compound. Now, we'll need someone to deal with finding the Dai Li."  
  
"Bolin and I can do that," Opal suggested.  
  
"I'll go too," Jinora suggested. "Opal and I can dress Bolin up as an Air Acolyte to fit in."  
  
"Wait, what if I have to Earthbend or something?", Bolin asked. "Wouldn't that look suspicious?"  
  
"Maybe a bit," Opal said. "But I've read that there were a few Earthbenders who joined the Acolytes after Aang founded them. It won't be unheard of."  
  
"Try not to unless you have no other choice." I took in a breath. "And that leaves Kuvira and Liara to join me in finding Xuandi in the Earth Army camp."  
  
"We're going to have a lot of distance to cover," Kuvira said, stepping up to the map. "We'll need to get local transportation."  
  
"Yes, that is best," I concurred. "The TARDIS can only move one group at once with flying. I can't risk shifting it either, not with that contracted space-time."  
  
"So we're going to be riding some ostrich-horses, huh?" Varrick clapped his hands together. "A good thing I happen to be an expert at that."  
  
"How are we going to rent or buy any?", Bolin asked. "We don't have any money. I mean, they won't accept yuans, will they?"  
  
"Probably not," I agreed. "But that's why I always keep a nice supply of gold."  
  
"Really? You own gold mines or something?", Varrick asked.  
  
"I..." I refrained from explaining and went with, "...I have means, that's all."  
  
"So you're just going to hand out chunks of gold to people?", Katara asked. Her voice made it fairly evident she didn't think it a good plan.  
  
"I could just go to a bank and get coins I suppose," I said. "But that takes time. Faster this way. Give a few fellows enough gold to buy a fancy house with and we'll have some ostrich horses. Or even carriages. Maybe."  
  
"It's the best plan any of us has at the moment," Liara said. "So we should try it."  
  
There were nods of acceptance for that.  
  
  
  
  
I found us a nice quiet alleyway in Yu Dao where I could keep the TARDIS cloaked, just in case Xuandi's followers should be present to report it. When we stepped out everybody was in an assemblage of robes I'd fashioned from a replicator system I kept aboard (although as far as Varrick was concerned I just had a really big wardrobe - I was _not_ introducing that man to replicators). I'd chosen a nice mixed robe look for myself. Asami, if she had been in a better mood, would have looked very good indeed in the green and tan robes she'd put on, even if they were not ostentatious enough to be anything but mayoral servant robes. Similar robes were on Varrick and Zhu Li.  
  
For our second group, Bolin kept playing with the mantle on his Air Acolyte suit until Opal grabbed his hand and made him stop.  
  
Liara had picked a robe of white and blue coloring, with a raised hood that covered the holographic blue hair that her holobelt showed. Kuvira had more traditional Earth Kingdom garb and didn't look particularly interested either way in it.  
  
"Well," I said. "Let's go see about those ostrich horses, huh?"  
  
Katara led us to one dealer she knew of. The fellow had a carriage to be pulled by a two ostrich-horse team and another three of the mounts. For several pounds of gold, he was quite willing to part with them.  
  
And so we split up.  
  
And since it was my gold and I had the further trip to make, I called the carriage.  
  
....which was why I was so irritated when Liara led an outvoting that gave said carriage to Katara and her group for their cover. Completely unfair.  
  
I climbed up onto one of the feathery equines and heard, behind me, the sounds of Varrick calling out to his team with "Woh, woh, watch out for that..!", interrupted by the sounds of splintering wood.  
  
A single wail filled the air, coming right around the corner of the next building. " _MY CABBAGES!_ "  
  
" _Sorry pal!_ "  
  
I rested my face in my palm for a moment while Liara climbed up onto her's right behind me. Kuvira took her own ostrich-horse and rode it like it was almost second nature. "Alright everyone, off we go!", I crowed, and we began riding for the exit gate of the city.  
  
  
  
  
While I rode in the lead, Liara and Kuvira were further behind me. Enough that they, or at least Kuvira, could be excused for not realizing I could hear them.  
  
"You remind me of someone," Liara said to her. "A couple of people, actually."  
  
"Just what do you mean?" Kuvira asked her.  
  
"The way you can lead people, and your dreams to unite your people and give them a new future. Those traits remind me of two of my comrades, Wrex and Shepard."  
  
For a few moments Kuvira went silent. "And how did your friend the Doctor get along with them?"  
  
"Rather well. He and Shepard saved our galaxy from the Reapers."  
  
I can imagine the effort Kuvira took to hide the consternation she likely felt. "Really," she said. "He seems determined to be my enemy."  
  
"He probably has concerns with the way you're accomplishing your goals," Liara answered.  
  
"I do what I have to," Kuvira insisted. I kept quiet the desire to snort.  
  
"Do you?" There was silence for a moment. "Wrex once told me that he often thought about being harsher toward the clans who opposed him and trying to impose a stronger unity on the Krogan. But he always decided not to because he felt that the measures he'd need to take would destroy what he was actually working to achieve."  
  
I can imagine Kuvira turning to face Liara with confusion and irritation on her face. "What could that mean?"  
  
"Being united in of itself isn't always going to work," Liara explained. "My people united only after years of careful diplomatic work between our communities. All earlier attempts to do so by force of arms failed and only caused us suffering from all the fighting."  
  
"That's why I'm doing this," Kuvira answered her. "My people need peace. They need unity."  
  
"But if you use nothing but force and coercion, you're not building a solid foundation to your people. You're creating an empire that can only last with force. Do you want to be remembered that way, Kuvira? As a conqueror?"  
  
"I don't care how I'm remembered." Kuvira's voice was hard. "I just want my people to be safe and secure again. I'll do whatever it takes and I'll fight anything that stands in my way."  
  
I'm not sure if Liara had any further argument to make, as their discussion stopped. We had arrived at the army camp.  
  
It was like any normal camp for people in this era. Low tents for the ranked soldiers, larger ones for officers, and the largest for the general. According to Katara it was General Hou who was in charge. He was, if I recall, a fairly reasonable man.  
  
We rode up to the largest tent and were challenged by two guards. In response, I pulled out the psychic paper and held it to them. Their faces whitened and they bowed in respect and acknowledgement. After we rode by Kuvira looked back at them and then to me. "What was that?"  
  
Given our earlier discussion I wasn't in a hurry to tell her all of my tricks, but she'd seen it and I needed to keep our trust from completely rupturing. "Psychic paper," I answered. I turned it around. "Hrm. Looks like they think I'm the Royal Inspector."  
  
"Just as long as we don't end up turning the entire army against us," Liara murmured. "Like the last time you tried to do this."  
  
"Now _that_ was a complete cultural misunderstanding..."  
  
We stopped talking at this point to dismount. "You're my aides," I said. "Allow me to do the talking." We entered the tent, where General Hou and his staff were enjoying what looked to be a quiet lunch. "Excuse me," he said. "What are you doing here?"  
  
I held up the psychic paper to him, allowing him to see the implied rank. "My pardon, General Hou, but I'm here on an urgent mission. I have reason to believe a Dai Li agent is in your camp as part of a scheme to attack the Earth King."  
  
Hou frowned deeply. "I thought we had gotten every single one of those traitors." He looked to one of his officers. "Order an immediate inspection of the men."  
  
The officer stood and gave a bow of acknowledgement.  
  
"Do you mind waiting?", Hou asked me.  
  
"Oh, not at all. My assistants and I will be outside." I nodded to Kuvira and Liara and the accompanied me out the door. "So far so good," I muttered under my breath. Of course, that was the easy part. The hard part was going to be finding Xuandi and his followers before they caused any damage.  
  
"So we're just going to stand around?," Kuvira asked.  
  
"No, we're going to do some reconnaissance. Surreptitiously of course." I brought out my sonic screwdriver and quickly scanned with it. "Hrm. Not in range yet."  
  
Kuvira looked at me. "What?"  
  
"The tracking energy on your backup remote," Liara said. "It's working?"  
  
"Faint traces, but not enough to see him yet. Background temporal energy is making things all wibbly-wobbly."  
  
Kuvira looked around. "I'm not seeing any problems. Certainly not anything like that 'time crash'."  
  
"That's because it hasn't built up enough," I said. "Odds are that around the time the diversion happened, it'll peak and we'll see something of it. But for now it's invisible to your senses. Here, just cover me while I run these scans, maybe we can pick up a trail..."  
  
  
  
  
It is not my normal practice to speak of events I didn't witness, but I thought it best to skip that practice in this instance so I can tell you what everyone was up to and how that played into where this all went.  
  
Our Air Nation group moved about the small city in a search pattern of some sort. Along the way Opal, undoubtedly relying upon Jinora's discretion, opened up a question to Bolin. "Why are you still serving Kuvira, Bolin?"  
  
"I'm not serving _her_ ," Bolin answered. "I'm serving the Earth Kingdom and the cause of peace. Kuvira's just the one in charge. If she decided to quit tomorrow, or.. uh, if we have a tomorrow I guess... anyway, if she quit and Bataar Jr, took over, I'd still be doing the same thing."  
  
"So you don't buy into her as the 'Great Uniter'?", Opal asked. I can imagine the sarcasm in her voice.  
  
"Oh, that's just people getting carried away," Bolin insisted. "Just like all the people saying she jails people who disagree with her. Kuvira's not like that, she just wants to help."  
  
"And you don't think there's anything odd with nobody ever opposing her?" Opal stopped and took Bolin's arm. "Bolin, I've been inside the Earth Kingdom. I've talked to people who went into the bandit areas to get away from her! They've told me about everything she does! The..."  
  
"Opal, I'm telling you, they're lying. They're probably bandits who just want to turn people against Kuvira!"  
  
I can imagine Opal's tone getting more heated. "So you're just going to dismiss everything I say about her?"  
  
"You're taking what these strangers tell you over what _I'm_ telling you," Bolin shot back. "Are you sure this isn't just because your mother is still mad at her and Bataar for leaving?"  
  
Before Opal could register a further complaint, Jinora coughed to draw their attention. She drew closer and, in a tense whisper, said, "We're in public and we're Air Acolytes. We shouldn't be fighting. And I'm pretty sure the Doctor will be upset about talking about the future in public."  
  
Bolin and Opal looked at each other. Probably with red cheeks. I mean, they're the adults, and there's Jinora being more mature and thinking more about things than either of them.  
  
They hushed and followed Jinora into one of the marketplace streets, where vendors provided goods and foods at varying prices. Bolin probably smelled the stall before he got to it, but seeing the shish-kebobs or whatever you want to call them, all glistening with grease and looking plump and juicy... oh yes, the boy has an appetite.  
  
"You're an Air Acolyte," Jinora whispered to him. "You can't eat meat."  
  
I imagine that crestfallen look coming over Bolin's face. It probably explained why he failed to pay attention and ran into a prospective customer. "Oh, sorry," he said hurriedly, looking at his victim. "I didn't mean... gaaah!"  
  
Yes. I imagine Bolin was quite stunned to look into the youthful equivalent of a face he'd undoubtedly seen in pictures and art and statuary. And the wolf-tail hair style probably gave it away even quicker.  
  
"Hey, watch it, you almost made me drop my food," complained Sokka, who turned and faced Bolin. From the way it was described, the expression on his face filled with wolfish glee. "Ah, hey there Acolyte." Sokka held up one of his purchased meat shish-kebobs in front of Bolin. "You know, I never got why you weren't allowed to eat meat."  
  
"Sokka!" From his side, Suki elbowed him in the ribs or some such thing to straighten him out. While Sokka was in his usual sleeveless Water Tribe robe, Suki was in civilian Earth Kingdom clothing. "You know what Katara's going to do if she catches you taunting the Acolytes with meat again."  
  
"That looks... delicious," Bolin sighed. Ah yes, I can imagine his mouth watering now. Poor boy.  
  
Sokka dangled one of the sticks before Bolin. "You could always blame me for tempting you. Aang'll let you slide. He's like that."  
  
"Meaaaat..."  
  
At this point, Suki apparently decided to escalate her reprimands, stomping on Sokka's foot with enough power to make him cry out and, certainly worse to his point of view, drop the kebob he was dangling in front of Bolin onto the ground. "Yowch...! My _meat!_ ," he wailed.  
  
Jinora and Opal used this opportunity to pull Bolin away from his tempter. They went into the privacy of an alleyway before Opal began speaking. "That was Sokka. That was really Sokka."  
  
"Gran-Gran and Dad told me stories about him," Jinora murmured. "But actually seeing him..." Her eyes were glistening with tears. "Dad. I wish Dad was here."  
  
"And Mako," Bolin added. "He'd have already tracked down these Dai Li guys if he was here."  
  
"Bolin..." Opal matched his tears with her own. Undoubtedly thinking about Bataar Jr., and the rest of her family wiped out by the Time Crash.  
  
The three remained for the moment, mourning those they might have lost. Bolin broke this by pointing ahead. "Hey, wait, isn't that...?"  
  
A figure on the opposite end of the alleyway looked toward them. "It's that man who was with Xuandi," Opal said.  
  
Guan had clearly recognized them as well. He took off down the opposite alleyway. Jinora, Opal, and Bolin took off after him.  
  
  
  
  
As for our other group, the carriage reportedly survived the trip through the streets of Yu Dao. Mostly.  
  
....I was assured that the doors were intact, at least.  
  
"Well, now that was exciting!", Varrick announced, jumping down from the driving seat. "Wasn't it Zhu Li?"  
  
I think of this, and I imagine Zhu Li calmly wiping the food sauce and cabbage leaves from her face. "Thrilling, sir."  
  
"Well, everyone, we're here!" Varrick opened the door and, in his usual overblown way, bowed and stretched his arm out.  
  
Katara and Asami dismounted, their looks all messed up from the ride. "You're fired, Varrick," Katara growled at him. I'm told Asami glared at him, but said nothing.  
  
"Some people don't appreciate smart driving," Varrick reportedly grumbled.  
  
Katara got them inside with little fuss. There were servants moving about, with Kiyoshi Warriors and the Earth King's elite guards scattered about to provide security. "Do you remember where the explosions went off?", Asami asked Katara.  
  
"Yes," she answered.  
  
"Maybe we should split up," Varrick suggested. "Zhu Li and I'll take the north side of the palace, you two take the south."  
  
"No," Katara answered. "Without me you'll never get past the Kiyoshi Warriors or the Earth King's guards. We have to do this together."  
  
"Well, if you say so," Varrick mumbled. "But I think you underestimate what Zhu Li and I can do to get around."  
  
Asami looked at him. "Just use your scanners and start searching for the bombs."  
  
"Right. Zhu Li?"  
  
Zhu Li took out one of them and started using it. Asami had her own. "I'm getting something," she said. "This way."  
  
Katara remained in the lead, following their directions. They were heading to the living quarters for guests and getting very close to their objective when Varrick moved into a doorway incautiously and ran into someone exiting.  
  
"Hey, watch where you're going!", Toph complained.  
  
"I could say the same to you," Varrick countered. "What are you, blind?"  
  
....yes, I also face-palmed when hearing that.  
  
"Want to look me in the face and say that, pal? I'll..." Toph stopped mid-sentence. "Katara?" Presumably her other senses and her Earthbending "radar" helped her recognize Katara's presence. "Aren't you and Twinkle Toes supposed to be off doing your lovey-dovey stuff?"  
  
"I... came back," Katara said in reply. "Some of the extra help in the palace needed me to check something."  
  
"Oh, well, just keep them from running into me and there won't be any need for me to smack them around." Toph slipped by. She made a small movement with one of her limbs, presumably her fingers, and a chunk of stone from the ground flew up and hit Varrick on the arse. "Just a little reminder that I can kick your butt any time," she told him while walking on.  
  
"Right." Katara nodded and looked to the others. "Let's keep going."  
  
They ventured further into the living area, unaware that they'd been spotted.  
  
  
  
  
I shall return briefly to our Air Nation friends, who were chasing Guan through the streets. "If we could AIrbend we could catch up to him," Opal huffed.  
  
"We can't risk being seen," Jinora answered. "Bolin?"  
  
Bolin stopped running long enough to chuck several stones from the ground at Guan. He deftly dodged them all save the last, which he threw back at them. Bolin grabbed it in mid-air and tossed it to the side, allowing them to continue their pursuit.  
  
They chased him through an intersection of streets, deftly dodging several carts in the process. and toward a storage building. Guan ran up one building to its roof and dived through an open window into the structure. "Maybe we shouldn't..." Before Jinora could finish her suggestion, Bolin and Opal ran in, so she followed.  
  
On the inside they found boxes and sealed pots stacked everywhere and the signs of habitation. The interior was lowly lit and hard to see in.  
  
Still, they could make out the plentiful number of Dai Li agents now surrounding them.  
  
Guan stood above them on the second floor, arms crossed. "Surrender," he ordered. "Now."  
  
  
  
  
Back in the mayoral palace, the survivor Katara and the others found the first bomb. "It looks really small," Katara said after Asami pulled it out of the hiding place behind a wardrobe. "How much damage would it have done?"  
  
"Enough," Asami answered. She reached into the tool kit pouch hidden under her robes and pulled out the materials she needed to disarm it. "This much explosive would blow the wall out of this room and wreck the room beside it."  
  
"It's really that powerful?"  
  
"Yeah. Really good stuff," Varrick answered for Asami. "Which is probably why we should leave Miss Sato alone so we don't get blown to smithereens."  
  
They stepped away from Asami and toward the door to the room they were in. "So, kid, how you holding up?", Varrick asked Katara.  
  
Her reply was evidently an irritated glare. "I watched everything I love get destroyed. How do you think I'm feeling?"  
  
"Ah, well, yeah." Varrick coughed. "But listen, this Doctor's got a great reputation for fixing stuff, and with all of us working together, there's nothing we can't do. We'll have those bombs handled in no time."  
  
"Yeah." Katara looked back to Asami, who was still at work. "She doesn't seem very happy either."  
  
"Who, Asami? Yeah, she's had a rough few years." Varrick coughed. "I had to save her company. Well, after I stole everything in her warehouse so she'd need it saved. Bah, details. They get in the way of ideas sometimes."  
  
"You what?", Katara asked.  
  
"I tried to steal her company," Varrick answered. "That's why she's not happy to see me. Although if you ask me, she's also pretty upset about Avatar Korra getting erased from existence."  
  
Katara's eyes focused on Varrick. "Avatar Korra? You mean... Aang's dead in your time?"  
  
"Well, yeah. He had an excellent run, though. Formed the Republic, took care of messes around the world, established the Air Acolytes in all the old Air Temples. He was a regular go-getter, my kind of guy!" Varrick had the decency to lower his tone, seeing Katara's upset expression. "But I guess being in an iceberg for a hundred years took a lot out of him or something. So instead we've got Korra, and let me tell you, she's one feisty girl! A real fighter! She stopped Amon from taking away everyone's bending and defeated the incarnate spirit of darkness and everything, with a little help from yours truly."  
  
"She's friends with the Avatar after Aang?", Katara asked.  
  
"Yeah, close friends. Really close. Maybe a bit closer than normal, I mean, if you've seen the way they look at each other..."  
  
"I can hear you, Varrick," Asami sighed.  
  
"How's it coming?"  
  
"Almost done."  
  
"Right." Varrick started to turn back . "Anyway, as I was saying..."  
  
when he looked back, he stopped talking.  
  
Katara stood there in silence.... looking at Katara, looking confused and stunned.  
  
"Oh, this is going to be interesting," Varrick said.  
  
  
  
  
The Earth Army Camp was more tense than I'd thought originally. It was clear some of the soldiers were not happy to be here and I overheard several grumbling about the planned treaty.  
  
"It's not going to be hard for Xuandi to turn these men onto his side," Liara noted.  
  
"That's because they're right," Kuvira said. "So is he. This land was stolen from our people."  
  
I sighed. Liara was the one who replied, though. "From the way it appears, the real issue is that the people who live on this land wished for independence."  
  
"The Fire Nation colonists and the collaborators supporting them did, you mean," Kuvira answered. "This is Earth Kingdom land, and the Avatar and Earth King Kuei just... gave it away."  
  
"They were trying to find a solution to a tricky problem," I pointed out. "Some of those colonists were not colonists any more. They had to go back three generations to find relatives who had come from the Fire Nation."  
  
"We were the victims of the war, the Fire Nation should have been forced to give up its land for the Republic," Kuvira charged.  
  
"So your solution would be to what? Impose a government these people didn't want? Expel anyone who disagreed with you?" I turned to face her. "When will you realize that force doesn't fix problems like that? There are other ways, _better_ ways, to solve these issues."  
  
Kuvira returned my irritated look. "You don't know what my people have gone through. The Fire Nation spent a century trying to wipe us out, and in the end, they got away by paying us blood money that just made them stronger in the end. The Republic got all of the benefits and we were left with the scraps."  
  
"So your solution is..."  
  
Before I could continue, my sonic went off. I brought it out and scanned. "He's here." I held it out and scanned around. "Moving fast...." My sonic pointed toward the command tent. "Come on!"  
  
We ran back, drawing attention as we did so. Nobody moved to stop us though as we got up to the tent, rushed past the guards, and entered.  
  
General Hou was sprawled out upon the ground, blood from a wound covering his forehead. A figure in the uniform of the Earth Kingdom stood over him. Given the rapidly-blinking light of my screwdriver, it was Xuandi. He turned and faced us, showing he was wearing a general's uniform like Hou's. "You followed me back. As I suspected you would."  
  
"Xuandi!" I reached for my sonic disruptor. "Xuandi, stop this madness."  
  
"I told you I would not stop," he said. "The Earth Kingdom will be restored, Doctor."  
  
"You're destroying your entire world!", Liara shouted. "You're not restoring anything!"  
  
Xuandi laughed harshly. "Do you expect me to just accept that claim?"  
  
"You're interfering in a key point in history, maybe even a Fixed Point in Time, Xuandi," I said. "If you disrupt it, you'll destroy this entire world and its timeline. Past, present, and future. There won't _be_ an Earth Kingdom for you to restore!"  
  
"Your desperation shows, Doctor." Xuandi stepped forward. "You reek of it."  
  
"Xuandi, don't..."  
  
I expected him to attack. But instead he gestured with his arms and, in that movement, tore the tent from the ground and pulled it away to expose us. "Help!", he shouted. "These Fire Nation agents have attacked the General!"  
  
By that point a number of soldiers had already been coming toward the tent. Hearing his words, they adopted fighting stances and faced us.  
  
"Just like last time," Liara sighed.  
  
"Attack them!", Xuandi shouted. "Avenge General Hou!"  
  
He moved away from us, and for good reason.  
  
The army attacked.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xuandi's plan kicks into gear, but thankfully our narrator and his allies find ready aid in the heroes of Aang's timeframe. Also, Katara meets herself. Time travel is weird that way.

The Earthbenders took up formation smartly. They bent up defensive walls to about chest height while their fellows pulled loose rocks from the earth to, well, throw at us.  
  
"Defensive formation!", Kuvira yelled, bringing up her own defensive rock wall in time to deflect the first strikes. Liara generated a biotic field to stop a barrage before throwing out a singularity that snatched four Earthbenders from the ground and caused them to flail in mid-air, screaming. More screamed as this revealed Liara's Asari form. I really, really needed to make that holobelt work with her biotics....  
  
While Liara was on defense, Kuvira went on the offense. She drew back and started slinging more of her metal plates, using them to bind the wrists of some of our attackers to neutralize them.  
  
I pulled out the sonic disruptor and used its kinetic pulse setting - good old 4 - to blast back one boulder flying toward me and Hou. I leaned over his prone form and did a quick check. Head injury, but not as bad as I'd feared initially. It had broken the skin and probably caused a concussion, but he'd make it. I pulled out a small application of medi-gel and applied it.  
  
"They're trying to murder General Hou!", I heard one man scream.  
  
"You bloody morons, we're trying to save him!", I shouted back. "Oi!" I looked up in time to see Kuvira send a metal plate flying toward the neck of the offending sergeant. I held up the disruptor and knocked the plate off course enough so that it only sliced a bit of his shoulder instead of the fatal gash to his throat it would have otherwise caused. I glared at Kuvira. "Don't," I insisted. "We're not here to kill."  
  
"We might not have a choice," she retorted.  
  
"if you want to see your world again, you'd better reconsider that!", I retorted. "Even the smallest ripples might still disrupt key elements of the timeline!"  
  
"Here!" Liara fell back on us, focused, and with her strength a bubble of biotic energy formed around us. Rocks crashed into it repeatedly, but this was a biotic barrier meant to resist mass effect projectiles. Big rocks thrown by Earthbenders lacked the kinetic energy and penetrating power to get through.  
  
Of course, it still created feedback that hurt Liara, and if she lost her concentration or passed out from the effort... our nice handy force bubble would be gone.  
  
I knelt down by Hou again. If I absolutely had to, I'd summon the TARDIS. Our proximity should permit the remote to work. But that would leave the Earth Kingdom army in a state of tumult. "Come on, General," I urged. "Your men are out of control!"  
  
The medi-gel was kicking in, slowly but surely. Liara grunted and her biotic field contracted a little, forcing Kuvira back. She was still throwing out Earthbending attacks with rapid movements of her arms and feet, knocking away soldiers. There was a lethal grace in her movement that could be stunning.  
  
"General..."  
  
Before I could protest further, Hou's eyes opened. They looked around, hazy and uncertain, before focusing on my face. "What...?" He blinked. "Who was that?"  
  
"The Dai Li agent attacked you," I said. "And he turned your army against us by accusing us of the deed."  
  
"What...? No...!" He started to sit up.  
  
"Careful!", I urged him. "Careful, General, you took a nasty hit on the head."  
  
"Soldiers of the Earth Kingdom, stand down!", Hou shouted, but he was still woozy and groggy and his voice didn't quite carry. Given the look on his face I wasn't certain he could manage the kind of bellow he'd need, so I pulled out the sonic screwdriver and held it in front of his mouth, set to amplify the sound of his voice like a bullhorn, but without that annoying feedback. " _Soldiers of the Earth Kingdom, this is General Hou! I order you to **stand down!**_ "  
  
The attacks petered off. The officers and men of the army looked with confusion as I helped Hou to his feet. "Get your medics!", I shouted. "The General has a nasty head injury."  
  
"General Hou..." One of the subordinate generals came from amidst the army's multitude and nodded. "I'm... I'm sorry, but the men saw you go down, and they..."  
  
"They fell for a Dai Li trick!", Hou growled, although he was clearly woozy. "General Luxu, ready the men for combat. The Dai Li will no longer dictate our Kingdom's fate!"  
  
"Right away, general...."  
  
"You need to rest, General Hou," i urged him. "Rest without sleeping. It'll take a while for your head to settle down."  
  
"I have suffered worse during the war, sir, I can make do." He looked at me and to Liara and Kuvira. "A spirit?"  
  
"Um... something close," I said.  
  
"You are not the Royal Inspector," Hou observed.  
  
"Indeed not," I said.  
  
"Then, who..."  
  
"Individuals here to thwart the Dai Li before they destroy everything we hold dear," I said. "They were going to cause your army to attack the Fire Nation after they launched their assassination of Fire Lord Zuko and the Earth King."  
  
Hou's eyes showed some worry through the haze of the concussion. "What... no? That's madness. That would restart the war...."  
  
"I know. Which is why they must be stopped. Keep your men under control, General Hou."  
  
"I must warn the King..."  
  
"No!" I gripped his arm. "They'll know, and they'll try to kill him before we're ready to stop them. Trust me, General Hou. We'll deal with the Dai Li. Just keep your army in line and be ready if they're needed."  
  
Hou was rather unhappy with my forceful response to him, but after a moment he relented. "Save the King and the Fire Lord, prevent this foolish war from restarting," he asked me.  
  
"I intend to," I answered. "Now, has anyone seen our ostrich-horses?"  
  
  
  
  
When I last mentioned our Airbender allies and Bolin, they were being ambushed in a warehouse of some sort. "There's a lot of 'em," Bolin noted to the others.  
  
Guan did not speak to them directly. He made a motion with his hand as an order to attack.  
  
Bolin evidently decided that since they were inside a building, there was no harm in cutting loose. Not just with Earthbending, but with his Lavalbending. I've had few opportunities to see that skill before, but given what Opal said about it, he put on quite a display, throwing out lava to cut paths back toward the door. And while Guan probably knew about Bolin's talent, his new subordinates did not. The attack threw them off balance.  
  
Then Jinora and Opal opened up with defensive Airbending and caught the downtime Dai Li further off guard. Powerful wind pulled them out of position or knocked them from the upper floor ledges.  
  
Guan plunged into their number, striking Opal in the back with a powerful rock thrown by one of his kicks. She went flying to the dirt from the impact. Guan deftly dodged Jinora's counter-attack and threw a hit that sent her spinning. Jinora rolled with it and got back to her feet, whipping up an air current in the same movement that would have knocked Guan off his feet if he'd been a split second slower.  
  
But he evaded it and counter-attacked, forcing Jinora to dodge as well. Opal took another hit from one of the other Dai Li before recovering, and with a bum shoulder at that, but she turned her momentum into a twisting move in mid-air that sent a gust of air to bowl the Dai Li man over.  
  
Guan and Jinora had stalemated each other, leaving Bolin and Opal to fight off the Dai Li. Whom were readily adapting to the presence of Airbenders and the lavabending of Bolin. Altogether, they needed a change in momentum to get away.  
  
Which, of course, they actually got.  
  
For the three, it was probably a surprise to hear a slight whistling sound before a metal boomerang moved through the room, knocking the heads of a couple Dai Li who had been focusing on the injured Opal. Another figure dashed ahead, knocked one Dai Li off his feet, and grabbed a second before throwing him into a third and fourth agent.  
  
The sudden attack from a new direction threw Guan's people into chaos. Guan undoubtedly saw this. He extricated himself by feinting Jinora with a presumed kick attack before throwing another stone in a low lunch that flipped her off balance, causing her to briefly hit the ground. "They can't stop us," he said to the others. "Withdraw for now."  
  
There was a rush of robed figures from the warehouse. Within moments the Dai Lai were gone.  
  
"Well, nice to see you again," Sokka helped Jinora get up.  
  
"You followed us," Jinora said. "Why?"  
  
He pointed a finger to his forehead. "You've got an Airbender tattoo on your forehead. I thought that was weird."  
  
Jinora tapped her head and must have felt silly that she hadn't triple-checked to make sure her Master tattoos weren't showing. "Yeah, about that. I was one of the Fan Club members who got the tattoos before Avatar Aang asked us to stop."  
  
"No, because I've seen everyone who got one, and I don't remember you." Sokka took a closer look at Jinora. "Say, you look an awful lot like Aang. And you're an Airbender, and you've got the tattoos...." I can imagine the goofy expression that came to his face. "....wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense. I mean, it's like your Aang's daughter from the future or something." From what I gather, he pondered for a moment before getting an eerie look on his face. "That _would_ make an awful lot of sense. Are you Aang's daughter from the future? Huh?!"  
  
"Absolutely not," Jinora answered, completely truthfully.  
  
That seemed a reasonable point to leave the conversation off. But Bolin just had to twitch a little and drew Sokka's attention. "Alright you. You're not even an Air Acolyte, are you? Tell me, are you from the future?"  
  
"Uh..." Bolin swallowed. For a moment I suppose it would have looked like he'd bend, but Bolin can surprise people with his mental flexibility. At times, at least. He opted for the obvious deflection. "Listen, that's not the important bit. There are these bad Dai Li guys running around who want to ruin the treaty signing. We've got to stop them!"  
  
"Don't be coy with me, buddy!"  
  
"I'm not sure we have time to explain," Jinora said to them. "But if you can get us into the palace, I think we can help prepare for the Dai Li attack."  
  
Sokka and Suki exchanged glances. "I think it might be a good idea, Sokka," Suki said. "There's something weird going on, and if the Dai Li are here to stop the treaty we might need the help."  
  
"Alright, fine," Sokka said, showing he'd drop the issue for now. "But I'm on to you, future people!"  
  
They departed.  
  
  
  
  
Of course, there was already a problem in the Mayoral palace. Katara faced Katara, and since this could get confusing I shall refer to "our" Katara as the Uptime Katara. "What.... who are you?" Katara stared at the Uptime Katara in abject surprise. "You look just like me."  
  
"Oh. Yeah, everyone says that," Varrick said. "You wouldn't believe how many problems it gave us back before the war ended. I mean, the Fire Nation authorities arrested her about twenty...." It's rather inspiring, in its own way, how Varrick tried to spin things since both Kataras were wearing suits of similar color and make, albeit one being replicated in the TARDIS.  
  
"Varrick, I'm not stupid," Uptime Katara sighed. "And so neither is she." The Uptime Katara looked at her counterpart intently. "I'm you, Katara. I'm a you that could be, and I'm here with them to prevent it."  
  
"WHat do you mean by that?", Katara asked. "What are you here to prevent?"  
  
"Done." Asami stood up and held the explosive. "I've disarmed it."  
  
"Tell me who you are!", Katara demanded, and she reached for Uptime Katara's arm. Uptime Katara grabbed her hand to stop her. And both froze.  
  
There are some places where touching your younger or older self are considered extremely dangerous. This is because quantum synergy, depending on energy states and all sorts of other things, can sometimes violently break down the matter in question. Just ask Senator McComb. Granted, that can sometimes be paradoxical, but... okay, I'm not going to go into whole issue of temporal variances and timeline flexibility, so let's just say that this doesn't happen often. More often you might just get slight information exchange from the synergistic effect, and if a timeline has been merged into another, the beings will likely merge too.  
  
The information effect is what I know to have happened when the two Kataras made direct contact. For a brief moment Uptime Katara's memories were visible to the other Katara. From what I heard, her face paled and tears began to streak down her eyes. "No... Aang.... Sokka...."  
  
Uptime Katara pulled away. "Yeah. And that's what we're going to stop."  
  
The shock of the brief memory exchange was not something Katara would get over quickly. "And the others here?"  
  
"Ah, well, that should be obvious. We're from the future!", Varrick announced. "The only survivors of an entire timeline wiped from existence by Xuandi and those Dai Li!"  
  
"Not just our timeline," Asami pointed out. "The Doctor says that every point of time on our world could be destroyed."  
  
"Who is...?"  
  
Before the obvious question could be asked, Zhu Li spoke up. "Pardon me, sir, but I believe we have company."  
  
Varrick looked outside the room and into the hall to where Zhu Li was indicating. "Well, I'll be. That's her, isn't it? Xuandi's..."  
  
Zhu Li grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. It saved both of their lives from the metal projectile that sliced several strands of Zhu Li's hair. Everyone turned to face Zhang, who pulled her metal back to her with metalbending. "She's..." Katara's eyes widened. "Pakku, Gran-Gran, Suki and Ty Lee...."  
  
"She killed them," Uptime Katara said in a harsh tone. She was already pulling water out of her bottle and bending it out to fight with.  
  
Zhang, upon seeing them, evinced some surprise at finding two versions of the same person. But the killer didn't say anything to them about it, whatever her thoughts were. Metal spikes erupted from her sleeves, aimed at their throats. Uptime Katara whipped her arms out and deflected the attacks by striking the spikes by freezing them. The other Katara generated a water whip that Zhang jumped out of the way of. When Zhang landed she used a couple of arm movements to rip out the floor of the palace and sling it at them. They had to dodge in turn.  
  
"Well, we're not exactly useful in this sort of thing," Varrick said, "so maybe we should, I dunno..."  
  
"Get help, sir?", Zhu Li proposed.  
  
Varrick snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's it. Let's go get some help!" They went back out the door into the hall. Their movement stopped when one of Zhang's spikes planted itself into the wall within a millimeter of Varrick's nose. "On second thought, maybe we should leave this to the Benders."  
  
Asami apparently had other plans. She jumped from the room with a curtain rod in one hand, using it like a quarterstaff as she closed the range on Zhang. She ducked under one thrown chunk, jumped over a metal blade meant to cut into her shins, and brought the staff down on Zhang's arm as she jumped away. This slowed Zhang down enough that both Kataras nailed her with powerful blasts of water, knocking her cover. Katara froze her in place a moment later, while Uptime Katara... well, unsurprisingly she bent some of the water into icicles, and she sent them crashing down to Zhang.  
  
The only reason she didn't kill Zhang was because her counterpart, horrified, turned the icicles back into water. "What are you doing?!", she demanded of the Uptime Katara.  
  
"Making sure she doesn't kill anyone ever again," Uptime Katara retorted.  
  
"Watch out!" Asami leapt and caught them both, pulling them down just as metal spikes flew in the space where they'd been.  
  
Zhang hadn't been frozen in place completely. One of her hands could still move, and she used it to bend the spikes back toward her, causing them to strike the ice around her arm and shatter it. With her freed arm she pulled down an ornamental pike that shattered the ice cocoon around her. She adopted an offensive stance yet again to resume the fight.  
  
Asami went after her again while the Kataras gathered the water around them again. This time, Zhang was more ready for her. She let Asami get close while making normal attacks, but when the improvised staff came down toward her, Zhang shifted the way she was moving. A metal blade erupted from her sleeve.  
  
Only a last second move kept it from slicing open Asami's throat. It cut along her shoulder, slicing a deep gash in it, and moved on from there. Blood flowed from the wound as Asami fell to her knees, her right arm dangling uselessly for the moment. Zhang summoned back the metal blade and caused it to fly by the Kataras, who had to duck to avoid it.  
  
Another blade appeared as Zhang pinned Asami to the wall. "Surrender," she ordered. "Or she dies." She pressed the metal blade up against Asami's throat. "All I'll need is an instant."  
  
The two Kataras remained still for a moment, holding large chunks of ice ready to be used on Zhang. But they saw the trickle of blood coming from Asami's throat where the blade was already piercing her skin. So they relented, dropping the ice to the ground.  
  
"Sentiments." Zhang nodded. "None can avoid giving in to them."  
  
And before they could act, Zhang drove the blade into Asami's neck.  
  
  
  
  
General Hou ordered ostrich horses prepared for us to return to Yu Dao and scribbled a quick introductory letter for us as well. Well, okay, scribbled is perhaps the wrong term to use for logogram-based languages. But nevertheless he wrote one, and we were off to Yu Dao.  
  
"What do you think Xuandi will do now?", Liara asked. "He can't use the army now."  
  
"If he succeeds in his main goal, he won't need to," I answered. "He could just have the Dai Li attack the Fire Nation army to provoke them. So we need to hurry!" I held up my sonic. "This way!"  
  
Liara activated her omni-tool. "I'm going to trace the links we gave to the others so we can assemble more quickly."  
  
"Right." I looked over to Kuvira. She wasn't talking, but she didn't need to. She looked fairly determined to accomplish our goals, all things told.  
  
I pondered Kuvira as we finished our ride into the city. In her way, she reminded me of Korra, in her willingness to punch through any obstacle to accomplish her goals. That drive, that fire in her eyes, oh that was very recognizable, wasn't it? But I thought she lacked something to make her truly comparable. A certain grounding that, as often as it had sometimes failed, still kept Korra from going too far. Korra was willing to get into a fight, certainly, and she battered down things that got in her way. I just didn't see her taking the same measures Kuvira clearly had.  
  
Of course, maybe I'm biased in Korra's favor. I still needed to see more of Kuvira in action, so to speak, before making a final judgement. She certainly had great potential as a leader, it was just a matter of that potential being used in the right way. So far the signs hadn't been very encouraging. But people, well, sometimes they surprise you.  
  
We'd made it into the city when I noticed, from the corner of my eye, Opal hopping along the rooftops, trying not to be seen. She gestured at us to follow and I did, leading us into an alleyway off the secondary lanes where we had some privacy. I found Bolin and Jinora there too, and.... of course, Sokka and Suki.  
  
I buried my face in my palm. "So... may I ask what happened?"  
  
"We ran into the Dai Li," Jinora answered. "And they came to help."  
  
"Yeah. That one quiet guy who's always been around Xuandi is leading them," Bolin added. "He almost got us too."  
  
"Well." I sighed. "That's two out of three. Going by our luck, Zhang's in the palace." I suppressed a shiver at that. Zhang was probably worse than Xuandi in some ways. She was a killer, cold and remorseless. Having her running around in the mayoral palace was not what I wanted to hear.  
  
Especially when three out of four of our allies sent there were unarmed non-benders.  
  
"So, pal, you're the leader here, huh?" Sokka raised a finger at me. "You can't fool me, future leader... guy.... whoever!"  
  
I blinked and eyed the others. They all shook their heads. "Well, aren't you perceptive?", I answered. Sokka was smart enough and imaginative enough that his doomed counterpart from the survivor Katara's timeline had figured out what the vortex manipulator did. "Suppose we are from the future, and that so are the people who want to stop the treaty signing by killing Zuko, the Earth King, and probably Aang. What, precisely, would that change?"  
  
"Well... hum...." He scratched at his head. "You could have all sorts of future machinery to help us with, for one thing! Or they could have it and use it against us!"  
  
"Right on both accounts, I suppose. But consider this. If we were from the future, and I told you we were, and you learned things about the future..." I leaned in near to him. "...ever consider what would happen if that made you make different decisions? You could wipe your own allies out of existence like that." I snapped my fingers.  
  
Sokka got his finger within a foot of my nose. "Listen, buster, that whole thing sounds... sounds..." He seemed to ponder it. "Actually, it sounds pretty right to me. Yeah, okay, I get your point."  
  
"Exactly. So, time travelers, were we to be such, would not openly talk about it with anyone who played a key role in the world that created them. Now..." I gestured toward the mayoral palace. "We really need to get going. Our enemy is a man named Xuandi, and he's here to stop the peace process. We have to take him and his followers down. So..." I looked back at our three horses. "I don't think these equines can take more than two riders, unfortunately."  
  
"Jinora and I will catch up," Opal said. "Take the others and go."  
  
I nodded and extended a hand to Sokka. "Care for a ride?"  
  
"Uh... sure?" He mounted behind me. Suki rode with Liara and Bolin got behind Kuvira. Jinora and Opal used Airbending and wall-running to get back to the rooftops, from which they would follow us.  
  
And we rode on to the mayoral palace.  
  
  
  
  
Zhang drove the metal blade into Asami's neck.  
  
But it did not breach her carotid, or her windpipe. It stopped, its tip just in deep enough to draw a pinprick of blood, after which it flew backward out of Zhang's grip before clattering against the opposite wall. To Asami's vision, Zhang's eyes took on a sudden, hateful glare. "What...? How did that happen?!"  
  
"Lady, I don't know what you think you're doing, but that is _definitely_ not how metalbending is supposed to be used!"  
  
All eyes turned to where Toph had stepped into the hall of that residential area. She shifted her head from side to side with a cracking sound and did the same with her knuckles. "Now, are you going to let go of the girl, or do I have to get _rough_?"  
  
Zhang reportedly stared for a long second before making her calculation. She took off down the other end of the hall. In the process, she was quite capable of dodging the sharp icicles that Uptime Katara flung at her.  
  
Toph whistled. "Wow, Katara. That's pretty vicious of you, going after that lady like... that?" Toph gave a confused look, or rather what amounted to a look from her given the obvious, and added, "Is this some kind of gag of Sokka's? Because if so, it isn't funny. _Why are there two Kataras?!_ "  
  
"A moment, Toph," Katara said while gathering up her own supply of water. She took it and applied it to the wounds on Asami. "That's real brave of you," she said. "You seem to know your way in a fight with Benders."  
  
"I've trained for it since I was little." I'm sure Asami did her best to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but I'm also sure she wasn't entirely successful. What happened with her father was a sore point. "But she was just too fast."  
  
"Say...." Varrick pointed at Toph. "If you're blind, how come you know there are two Kataras?"  
  
"Sir, she's Toph Beifong," Zhu Li reminded him.  
  
"Toph... oh yeah, the old p..."  
  
"Yes, _Toph_ ," Asami interrupted, glaring at Varrick. "This is a very strange story."  
  
"Dealing with one Katara is enough, but having to deal with two makes this beyond strange, lady," Toph answered, arms still crossed. "So, explanations?"  
  
Uptime Katara looked at her and, I suspect, couldn't quite keep the sadness out of her. Toph sensed the change to her heartbeats and recognized them for what they were. "Say, why is one of you acting so upset all the sudden?"  
  
"It's.. it's nothing," Uptime Katara stammered. "Listen, it's complicated. All i can say is that some Dai Li from the future want to stop the treaty, so they used some machine to come back in time and wreck the meeting. Sokka got his hands on their time machine and sent me into the future for help. I found these people from the future to help fight the Dai Li. And if we don't stop them tonight, they're going to destroy the world."  
  
"Destroy the world? Are we talking something like Ozai going crazy and burning down the Earth Kingdom, or...?"  
  
"Our world would cease to exist," Asami answered. "Space and time would collapse around the altered point. It's a Fixed Point in time, it shouldn't be changed like that."  
  
"Alright, now you're starting to tick me off with the weird words and stuff," Toph said, hand held up in a stop gesture. "Let's just leave it at what Katara said.... the other Katara.... _oooh, this is annoying!_ How about you..." she pointed to "her" Katara "...be Sugar Queen and you..." now she pointed at Uptime Katara "...are now Spice Queen. Because you're kind of aggressive now. Meaner, I mean. I sort of like it."  
  
"I hate to interrupt this little party," Varrick started, "but we've only gotten one bomb so far, and we still have the entire palace to search."  
  
"We'll cover more ground if we split up," Uptime Katara said. "Toph, Katara, you should go with Varrick to the upper floors." She looked at Asami. "You and I will go check on the bombs in the main hall."  
  
"Aw, so you mean we _can't_ go introduce Sokka and Aang to you both?" Toph chuckled. "I'd love to hear their heartbeats at the idea of there being two of you."  
  
"No time," Asami said, urgency in her voice. "We should get going, now."  
  
  
  
  
We arrived at the entrance to the Mayoral Palace to find the gate guarded by a phalanx of Earth Kingdom soldiers. King Kuei's elite guards, presumably. The lead guard held up aa hand. "By order of General Hou, the palace is off limits."  
  
I lifted my eyebrow but said nothing, letting Sokka and Suki take the lead on that. "They're with us," Sokka said.  
  
"The General's orders were strict," the guard answered. "Nobody is to be allowed in."  
  
"I'm the leader of the Kiyoshi Warriors." Suki stepped up past Sokka. "I need to get in, the Dai Li are going to attack the King and Fire Lord!"  
  
"Nobody means nobody," the guard insisted.  
  
I narrowed my eyes. I sincerely doubted it was Hou who made the order. Xuandi, well, that was a different story. And that's assuming he had not co-opted one of the officers. I started looking down the walls in either way, seeing if there was another way in.  
  
That's why I noticed the light post.  
  
It was in place along the street lining the palace, like it had been placed there, even though the area around it was clearly meant to be open. I walked up to it with the sonic out.  
  
This drew the attention of the others. "What is that?", Suki asked.  
  
"Looks like a lamppost," Sokka answered. "But I've never seen one like it. How do you open it to light the flame?"  
  
"You don't," I said quietly. "It's a light bulb. It runs off of electricity."  
  
"You mean lightning, right?"  
  
"Something like that, Sokka, sure." I looked at my sonic and drew in my breath. "It's spreading."  
  
Bolin looked around with worry. "I don't see any white stuff yet."  
  
"Yes, it hasn't gotten that bad yet," I answered, "but that won't be too far behind."  
  
Suki and Sokka exchanged looks. "Uh.... what are you talking about?", she asked.  
  
"We need to get in there," I said. "Hrm... Bolin?" I made a hand gesture indicating him digging a tunnel with his Earthbending.  
  
"They're Earthbenders too, I think they'll see that coming," he answered. "Besides this place was built for the Fire Nation, and they'd know to protect against Earthbenders."  
  
"Well." I sighed. "I guess I've got no choice." I went back to the ostrich horse and jumped on. "Come on, everyone, we don't have all day! Well, technically it's not even going to be a day soon, but a big... knot of timey-wimeyness.... but we've got to go!"  
  
"And just where would this be?", Sokka asked, crossing his arms.  
  
I smirked. At this point, why bother avoiding it? "Why, my time machine, of course."  
  
  
  
Katara - the contemporary one that is - and Toph were left as spectators to Varrick and Zhu Li as they made an effort to disarm another bomb, this one located in a place to cut off the central portion of the palace from the western wing. "This Xuandi guy sounds like he needs a boulder upside the head," Toph declared after hearing an explanation of what he was from Varrick.  
  
"Oh, you're telling me." Varrick held up a hand. "Zhu Li, the thing!" She dutifully handed him a tool. "And the other thing too!" She handed him a second, and he returned to work on disarming the explosive.  
  
"So, where is Twinkle Toes anyway?", Toph asked. "I thought you two were off doing lovey-dovey stuff?"  
  
"King Kuei called an early meeting to discuss some parts of the treaty. I told him I'd wait for him to finish."  
  
"Oh, well... doesn't that mean the Spice Queen will see him?", Toph asked.  
  
Given Katara had been given a brief inkling of what her counterpart had gone through, I'm not surprised she didn't respond with the sort off petty jealousy that I imagine Toph would have enjoyed feeling. "It'll make her feel better," was all that she said.  
  
"Really?" After a moment I imagine Toph put two and two together. "This attack, it must have been pretty bad then."  
  
"I didn't see all of it. Just the worse parts." I imagine even this Katara, who hadn't endured seeing everyone she loved in the world be slaughtered by Xuandi and his Dai Li, had a hard edge to her voice at the mere thought of these things coming to pass. "Enough to know we have to stop it from happening."  
  
"Stop what from happening?"  
  
I imagine the new voice in their conversation almost made them jump. Toph and Katara turned to face Ty Lee, still in Kyoshi Warriors uniform, who looked at them. "What are you doing up here?"  
  
"Something, uh... Nothing much."  
  
"We were just discussing if the Dai Li were going to attack," Katara said. Which had the amusing advantage of not being entirely a lie either.  
  
"Oh, of course not. We've kicked their butts so many times now that they wouldn't bother!", Ty Lee said. "Anyway, I'll see you at the treaty signing!" She turned and walked away.  
  
I suppose Toph and Katara exchanged looks. Well, more like Katara started to and caught herself due to the obvious issue with such a thing. "Is it just me, or is it really creepy she became a Kiyoshi Warrior?", Toph asked.  
  
"I think she fits pretty well," Katara answered.  
  
"A ha! There we go!" Varrick stuffed the disassembled bomb and parts into his robe. "Another bomb down! Zhu Li, do the thing!"  
  
Zhu Li held up the scanner. "This way."  
  
"Right!"  
  
  
  
  
Uptime Katara was able to get Asami into the main hall fairly easily. It was a rather large chamber and that meant, unfortunately, that there was plenty of room for powerful plastic explosives to cause havoc in.  
  
At the central table, a large circle, Aang was sitting beside Zuko, Mai, and Kuei, discussing one or another minor provision of the treaty the two were due to sign. The historic piece of paper that would give birth to the United Republic of Nations and set the stage for Korra's time. It was more than just an important point in history though, it was a Fixed Point in time. That treaty had to be signed and ratified and its signers brought forth to announce its existence. Xuandi preventing it was why there was an electrical light post now outside of the palace, decades before the technology of this world advanced to allow it to be put into use.  
  
I imagine Uptime Katara was visible in her need to restrain herself from going up to Aang to kiss him. She remained near Asami as they rounded the exterior of the room to the first hiding place, behind a tree sculpture. Asami dug out her tools and started working on the device. Katara watched her back and kept a low profile herself, or at least as low as she could.  
  
Two of the devices were quickly dismantled, but the third proved one of the trickier ones as it was terribly close to Aang and the others. I can imagine how much Asami was sweating as she worked on it. Which was undoubtedly made worse when a voice called out, "Hey, Katara!"  
  
She turned and faced Aang, who had come over. "I'm glad you decided to come after all, Zuko and King Kuei...."  
  
I can only imagine the feelings that went through her head. She had watched Aang die, after all. Seeing him alive? The kind of emotion that would reasonably cause was more than any rational thought could easily deal with for a lot of people. And apparently so for Katara, who wrapped her arms around Aang and began crying.  
  
"Katara? Sweetie, what's wrong?"  
  
"You're alive, you're..."  
  
"Wait, who's that?" Zuko stood from his chair and advanced on Asami. "Who are you and what are you doing here?!" That was fairly unkind, I suppose, but given how many assassination attempts Zuko had survived since becoming Fire Lord, some paranoia is understandable. It wasn't like the treaty was too popular in the Fire Nation either. Mai seemed to be in agreement given she had reached for her throwing blades.  
  
Asami didn't turn away until Zuko put his hand on her shoulder. He might have done more if Katara hadn't reacted. "No, Zuko," she said. "She's with me."  
  
"Katara, what's going on?", Zuko asked. "What is..."  
  
At that point, a couple of interesting complications happened in a row.  
  
The first was that Ty Lee stepped in from the nearest door. She turned to face them and blinked. "Hey, that doesn't make sense. Because I just saw you with Toph right now and...." She rubbed at her head. "You couldn't have gotten here before me!"  
  
The second came about five seconds later. Asami saw a light on the charge turn red. "Get back!", she shouted. "It's going to explode!"  
  
Three seconds later, it did.  
  
  
  
On the upper floors, Varrick and Zhu Li were approaching another charge. Varrick got close enough to see the light on it change color. "Everybody down!" He jumped on Zhu Li and Katara, throwing them both to the floor.  
  
This would not have saved them, of course. The bob was too close. What did save them was Toph. She made a quick jab with her fists to Earthbend some of the fine stone floor, tearing an entire chunk out of the building in the process. It flew through the air before it detonated in mid-air. It was close enough that some of the blast wave still caught her, knocking her on her back. "Ow!", she complained, her hands going to her ears. "That was bad!"  
  
The floor beneath them shuddered. "What's going on?", Katara asked.  
  
"The bombs!", Varrick answered. "They just went off!"  
  
  
  
  
We rode our fowlish equines into the appropriate alley and I used the remote to remove the TARDIS' stealth field. The moment he saw it Sokka made a confused noise. "Wait, that's... that's really small." We all dismounted. I admit that I was grinning like an idiot in anticipation. "There's no way we'll all fit inside."  
  
"Ha." I snapped my fingers. The TARDIS doors opened wide and showed the inside.  
  
Ah, yes. The dropped jaws,, widened eyes... especially Sokka's. I allowed the idiot's grin to grow larger. "But that's... I...." Sokka ran up to the door, putting his hand on his chin in thought. "It's an illusion of some sort, right? It's got to be..." He stepped through and looked around. With pure bewilderment on his face Sokka stepped back out of the TARDIS and ran around it. He judged its width by holding out his arms and did the same from the inside. Finally he looked to me. "It's bigger on the inside!"  
  
I looked over to Liara, who was smiling slightly. "I always love it when they say that."  
  
"It can be amusing," Liara agreed.  
  
Suki had, meanwhile, assured herself of the same, while Opal and Jinora went inside so Jinora could treat Opal's injury. "What is it?"  
  
"It's a TARDIS, my TARDIS," I explained. "Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. And while I'd love to..."  
  
I heard the roar a moment before Suki looked up and asked, "And what's _that_ thing?"  
  
Looking up I saw the craft flying lowly over the north side of Yu Dao, wheels extended, as if coming in for a landing in the distance. After about two seconds, it seemed to fade from sight. But I'd gotten a good enough look at it to tell what it was. "A passenger jet plane," I murmured. "That's not good."  
  
"It's a what?"  
  
"A flying machine, Sokka," I answered him. "Although your world has about a century before it builds them." I sighed. "That's not a good..."  
  
A loud shriek filled the air. Now I could hear distant screams and cries of surprise as well, and I realized why when I saw the creature fly overhead. It looked like a pterodactyl, but with the head of a triceratops. "Well, you don't see that every day." I watched the creature circle around for a bit, startled and upset, before vanishing. "The Time Crash event is escalating. It's starting to have an effect here and now." I rushed into the TARDIS. "We need to get going! We...."  
  
The distant thunder of explosions drew my attention back outside. Kuvira pointed further out. "The palace. There are explosions at the palace."  
  
"We haven't a moment to lose!", I shouted. "Everyone aboard! We're taking the direct route!"  
  
  
  
  
In the main hall of the palace, the explosion blew apart one of the walls. Indeed, it blew out more than it should have.  
  
Airbenders are pretty good at deflecting explosions.  
  
When the rubble and smoke cleared, Asami stumbled back to her feet and looked around. I can imagine her panic and terror; had we just failed? Was her world doomed, was _Korra_ doomed?  
  
King Kuei groaned, revealing he was alive, and Zuko stumbled to his feet, helping Mai up. "That explosion..." He rubbed at his head. I'm certain his ears were still ringing. "There wasn't enough blasting jelly for something that big!"  
  
Before he could continue or Asami could explain, Katara screamed in anguish. They turned and saw her cradling Aang. His Air Nomad robes were badly burnt and the burns had extended into his skin. He was mercifully unconscious at this point. Given the state he was in, the issue of where he was alive was an obvious one. "Aang, Aang, wake up! Please _wake up! I can't see you die like this, not again!_ "  
  
Asami was helping Ty Lee up when the latter heard that. "Again?", Ty Lee asked, blinking.  
  
"Just what exactly is going on here?", Mai asked.  
  
"Katara, what's going on here? Who are these people?!" Given the situation, Zuko's demands were understandable.  
  
They were interrupted by a commotion from the main door. There were sounds of vicious fighting and the door flew open. Two of the Kiyoshi Warriors flew through it and fell unconscious to the ground. Xuandi entered, flanked by Guan and Zhang, and quite a few black-robed Dai Li came in to either side to form a half-circle in the hall. "I had hoped to make this quick," Xuandi said. "But interference forces my hand." He stabbed a finger at the incredulous Kuei. "King Kuei, in the name of the people of the Earth Kingdom, I charge you with treason. You plan to sign away our peoples' land in favor of the people who attacked them, all on the word of a Fire Lord desperate to keep his throne and a naive Avatar who doesn't care about the needs of our people."  
  
"That is outrageous," Kuei retorted. "The Republic is to be a neutral territory of people from all Nations and jointly ruled by all four remaining nations. I have explained this time and again!"  
  
"The Republic will be a sham. It will bring our people nothing but humiliation and shame. I will not allow it to be born."  
  
"You have to stop!", Asami shouted. "Xuandi, you're going to wipe our entire world from existence!"  
  
"The Doctor has already shared that lie with me. I am unmoved."  
  
"The Doctor knows more than anyone how time travel works," countered Asami. "If you don't listen to him, we're all going to be destroyed!"  
  
"Uh, what?" Ty Lee recovered enough to stand on her own. "What are you talking about?"  
  
And Mai asked the usual question. "Doctor? Doctor who?"  
  
I love straight lines like that.  
  
Granted, I had little idea it'd been spoken, but it proved an excellent line for the moment nevertheless.  
  
The TARDIS crashed into the hall from the opposite wall from the entrance, spinning until it slid to the ground and stopped, door pointed toward the others and Xuandi's army. The door opened and I stormed out, sonic screwdriver in one hand and sonic disruptor in the other. Liara and Kuvira came up to one side and Sokka and Suki to the other, and beyond them Opal and Jinora. "Hello everyone!", I said cheerily. "Sorry to crash the party, but I was afraid you'd start without us."  
  
Asami looked at me and smiled. "Glad you could make it, Doctor."  
  
"Grandpa Aang?!"  
  
I turned my head slightly. I remember feeling a great deal of momentary fear at the way Uptime Katara was holding his body. Jinora went up to her and knelt beside her. "I... I think he's still alive."  
  
"Go back to the library," I said to Katara. "The swimming pool is open."  
  
Katara nodded and hefted Aang into her arms. She ran as quickly as she could into the TARDIS with Jinora covering for her. When Katara was safely inside, Jinora moved up beside Asami and Ty Lee. "Just what is going on?!", Ty Lee shouted.  
  
"We're from the future," Asami answered. "And so is he."  
  
Xuandi laughed. "All well and good, Doctor, but you forget. I have all the time I need." He pulled back his sleeve to use the vortex manipulator again.  
  
But this time I was ready for him. "I don't think so!", I called out, bringing out the other one, the one Katara had worn. I hit a key on it. There was light on both and a flash of intense light on Xuandi's wrist. He flinched away from the light. When it was gone, his manipulator was gone as well. "Temporal integration!", I crowed. "Prevents annoying duplication issues involving timeline alterations. Time Agents are smart about that!"  
  
A frown appeared on Xuandi's face. Very uncharacteristic of him. "Just the few of you, against all of the Dai Li? This battle is hopeless for you, Doctor. Zhang and Guan alone are more than powerful enough to...."  
  
There was a crashing sound overhead. The ceiling caved in, a perfect square, and beneath us earth rushed up to meet the figures that were coming down from above. When the column of earth returned to the floor, a very disheveled Varrick was the first thing I noticed. "Well, that _was_ the quickest route."  
  
"And the most fun!", Toph declared. Beside here Katara - the downtime Katara - stood up and brushed herself off.  
  
Sokka's jaw dropped when he saw his sister. "What?!", he shrieked. "But... I just... she's supposed to be..." He pointed back to the TARDIS.  
  
"Oh, that's your Katara," I said to him. "The Katara treating Aang is from the initial timeline that this fellow's attack would have caused."  
  
"Do you think two more benders will decide the battle for you, Doctor?", Xuandi crossed his arms. "Are you that arrogant?"  
  
"Well, honestly, yes, yes I am," I announced. "But on the other hand, I'm the one with two generations of this world's greatest benders at my back. So I'd say you're the arrogant one, Xuandi. And your arrogance can't be allowed to destroy your entire world."  
  
"You are persistent with your lies, at least," Xuandi said.  
  
"It's clear you won't listen to reason," I retorted. "I don't like violence, but I don't like watching friends get erased form existence either, and I rather dislike it more." As I spoke the others took up a half-circle to my sides. Liara, Kuvira, Sokka and Suki, Katara, Zuko and Mai, Ty Lee, Asami, Bolin and Opal, Jinora. Varrick fell back to stand over Kuei for the moment, Zhu Li ever at his side. Ergo, I had nearly a dozen of this world's heroes and heroines from two generations at my side.  
  
Rather fitting, I suppose.  
  
"This has gone on long enough." Xuandi tensed up.  
  
I was looking at Asami at that moment. There was a hard look in her green eyes as she met my own. "For Korra," she said.  
  
I nodded.  
  
"For the Earth Kingdom!" That shout came from two sources. Xuandi and, not surprisingly, Kuvira.  
  
Xuandi lifted his arm and tore rock from the ground below the floor. And then he added another line. "Destroy them all!", he shouted.  
  
And that was how the battle for the existence of their entire world began.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's an epic battle between our narrator alongside the heroes of two generations and an army of nationalist fanatics with the former fighting to save their entire world from being splorted in a Time Crash. Yes, I said splorted. Those are quite nasty.

The Dai Li were quick. There was no getting around that. They tended to quick and rapid uses of their Earthbending, particularly with those stone gloves of their's. The attack directed at me crumbled into dust once it struck the deflector shield coming from my sonic disruptor. Liara caught another pair of gloves with a biotic field that deflected them from several of our allies, while all the others dodged the first attacks. And from that point the battle was joined.  
  
It was a collage of images and scenes. Suki and Ty Lee dodging attacks to get in close with the Dai Li. The first delivered several punishing kicks and punches to an opponent. Ty Lee twirled in mid-air with acrobatic grace, got in close, and her fingers rapidly smacked into several points of the Dai Li's body. The man collapsed and tried in vain to bend rock at her.  
  
Toph was as one would expect her to be. Arm and leg movements resulted in raw earth shooting out of the ground and slamming opponents, none of whom quite managed to land a hit. When one Dai Li came at her from behind, he was greeted by an upswell of lava that he cringed away from, opening him up to Toph's counter attack, which sent him flying. "Lavabending?" Toph looked in Bolin's general direction. "That's a new one." Her face turned bewildered. "Is that a Metalbender?"  
  
Undoubtedly she had sensed Kuvira, who was engaged in her own fight to break through to Xuandi. She shattered several earth fists sent toward her and bound one Dai Li agent up with some of her metal strips. Strip after strip of the deadly metal flew, cutting clothing and flesh where it struck.  
  
Zhang intercepted her first. A metal spike nearly took Kuvira between the eyebrows if not for a last minute side step, which left a bleeding gash across her left temple. Kuvira took the metal spike with her own metalbending and sent it back to Zhang with enoughf power to keep Zhang from sending it back, forcing her to duck it and opening her up to an opportunistic strike with a boulder that sent her flying.  
  
There was movement to my side. Guan was charging in. He brought up a rock shield to stop Mai's throwing blades and twisted around several fireballs sent at him by Zuko. A trio of the Dai Li followed him in. Ah. Flank attack. I couldn't turn, not without opening up Kuei and Varrick to attack, and that left it for Jinora to intercept him. She sent several strong gusts at him that Guan flipped around. in mid-air his leg lashed out and a chunk of marble flew from the wall and slammed into Mai. She cried out and fell over, prompting Zuko to move to defend her while she recovered and opening him up to Guan's allies to batter him with attacks. Asami shot into their midst, catching one with a high kick and the second with a strong punch that knocked him over. The third went for her back and cried out as a throwing knife of Mai's embedded itself in his calf. She started to pick herself up from the floor.  
  
I grimaced as another stone slammed into my deflector. "Liara, we should..."  
  
I didn't get an answer. Guan caught Jinora with a strike of material that sent her flying into Liara. Opal jumped in before he could follow up. She caught Guan in the side with a small cyclone from her fist that sent him flying. He caught himself in mid-air and planted his feet against the wall. When he pulled away a large stone of the wall came out. Guan directed his feet at us and kicked off from the chunk. Even I had to duck as it crashed in our midst.  
  
"That guy is giving us a bunch of trouble," Varrick said, getting up. "There's gotta be a way to take him out."  
  
As Varrick asked this, Sokka let fly with his boomerang, which Guan deftly dodged. The weapon returned to Sokka's hand and he gripped it, frowning. "Oh come on, Boomerang 2! I know you're just as good as Boomerang Number 1!"  
  
"Even if you hit him, I doubt it'll do much to a bruiser like him," Varrick said. "We need to give it some oomph."  
  
Sokka seemed to think on this. "Wait, weren't you supposed to be running around disabling those blasting jelly explosives?"  
  
"Plastic explosives, not jelly," Varrick countered. "But yeah." Varrick pulled a disabled bomb out of his pocket. "Small, but I think it'll work, if I can get it on him."  
  
"So..." He held out his boomerang. Varrick looked it over and grinned. "Your exploding stuff, my boomerang."  
  
"Right!" Varrick slapped him on the back. "Boy, you're a genius, never let anyone tell you otherwise! Zhu Li, I need the thing!"  
  
"Right away sir."  
  
While they went to work the rest of us were busy recovering and trying to contain Guan and, soon enough, Zhang. She leapt around on the other end, throwing metal spikes and blades out with deadly accuracy. Katara took up defensive duties against her, bending water repeatedly to freeze the metal attacks in ice. Bolin kept the Dai Li off of her with a disc of lava that he whipped around. Toph kept herself busy dealing with those same Dai Li and throwing attacks at Zhang.  
  
Had Xuandi pressed us as well, I suspected we would have been overwhelmed, but he was fully occupied with Kuvira. The two were steadily disappearing in a debris cloud of crushed rock as they slammed their attacks against each other repeatedly, every attack deflected, every move countered.  
  
"This might not work," Liara said. "They've got us pinned in."  
  
"I know. But there's not much we can do about that," I answered. I looked around and felt a terrible sensation growing. The Time Crash. It was growing stronger. We needed to fix history, and every moment we continued this fight we made the problem worse.  
  
"Didn't you say that as long as the Fixed Point occurs, time will adjust?", Liara asked me.  
  
"I did." I blinked. "Yes, of course! We don't have to win this fight, not right away!"  
  
"Wait, what?", That came from Sokka.  
  
"Cover me," I said to Liara. I stepped back, still holding the sonic disruptor, and said, "Where's the treaty?" to Kuei. "We need the treaty!"  
  
"It was on the table," he answered. "But that's gone. I'm not sure...."  
  
"Bloody hell," I swore. "Listen, today is a special day in history, a Fixed Point in time. And that fixed point is you and Zuko sighing that treaty. That's what this is about. They want to stop you and don't realize what it means for entire world. In other words, _I need that treaty signed._ " I looked to the broken remains of the table and ran for it. I got down into the wooden and marble debris and started pulling away pieces to see if I could find the paper.  
  
I had only a brief moment to consider the shadow that loomed over me before Zhang slammed my back with several of her metal spikes. Once again the vest that had been so graciously gifted to me by the Carpenters saved me from grievous injury. I turned and got the sonic disruptor up in time to stop a direct attack. "You have no Bending, Time Lord," Zhang spat. "You think to challenge me?"  
  
"It was a thought," I retorted, smiling. "Bet that makes you wonder, doesn't it?"  
  
"i should have killed you back in our time," was the hissed reply. She started throwing metal at me again.  
  
And was focused enough that she didn't see Asami until it was too late.  
  
Asami took her from behind, getting in close with a grab, shifting her weight, and throwing Zhang off her feet. Bolin had been ready for the move and sent his lava disc into her, cutting fabric and flesh to a terrifying scream from Zhang. She flew off and landed with a thud.  
  
"Nice job," I said to her. "No need for a metal suit to do that, right?" I pointed to the table. "Now I need to find the treaty!"  
  
"Right."  
  
While we worked on that, the fight raged around us. Liara caught a couple of Dai Li in a singularity to leave them vulnerable to attacks from the others. Guan was rampaging still, though. Suki went sprawling from a rock to her torso from her attempt to get close. That opened the way for Ty Lee to try. But as she got into range Guan's foot suddenly struck out and slammed into the ground. The ground beneath her erupted and Ty Lee went flying past him to slam into the wall. More jagged rock absorbed a whirlwind from Opal.  
  
"Everyone down!", Varrick shouted.  
  
Sokka followed by calling out, "Go get him, Boomerang!" Just to see what was going on, I turned my head back and saw Sokka throw his weapon again. But this time, I also saw the bits of plastique attached to it, cleverly done in a way to avoid undermining the weapon's air flow. Guan answered by reaching his hand out to swat the projectile away.  
  
But I had a feeling of what was really going to happen and braced myself.  
  
The blast wasn't large. It couldn't be without weighing the boomerang down too much to work. But it didn't need to be to catch Guan. I looked again in time to see him slam into the broken wall behind him and hit the floor. He wasn't moving after he landed.  
  
"Here!" Asami picked up a wooden shard and found a scroll underneath. She ran her eyes over it. I could see some wonder come into her eyes when she did; the document that created the nation she called home, right there in her hands. "I found it!"  
  
"Excellent, now get it to the oth..."  
  
"Enough!"  
  
Our attention, that of the Dai Li still standing, all turned toward the west side of the room. Zhang was on her feet again. Before her was an unconscious Toph and crooked in one of her arms was Katara. A metal spike was already against her neck. "Tear up the treaty, Doctor."  
  
"No," I said.  
  
"I'll kill her," Zhang said.  
  
"And if we tear up the treaty, everyone will die. You included," I pointed out.  
  
"Do you think me any more gullible than Lord Xuandi?", she asked. "That is the only reason to believe I would ever consider your preposterous claims that... hgk..."  
  
The choking sound ended her sentence. Zhang's eyes widened and her body stiffened. Her arm pulled away from Katara's neck and dropped the spike. Everyone present gasped in shock. And I knew some of them, from both generations, knew perfectly well what this was.  
  
Out of curiosity my eyes went skyward, where in the twilight sky I could make out the full moon.  
  
Uptime Katara emerged from the TARDIS, hatred in her eyes and her hands raised as if gripping something. Gripping Zhang, I would say. She forced the Dai Li assassin to turn. "You and your master killed all of my friends and family," Uptime Katara said. "I'm not letting you hurt them. Not again. _Never again._ "  
  
There was something very frightening in her voice when she said that. "Never again", I mean.  
  
"Katara, what are you doing?", I asked her.  
  
I got my answer when her hands moved. Zhang's back arced painfully. And for all her coldness, I could see real fear appear in her deep emerald eyes.  
  
Downtime Katara looked up from where she'd fallen on all fours. "No, what are you doing?!", she demanded.  
  
"What has to be done. What I wished I could have done when they attacked us." Her hands moved and Zhang let out a choked scream as her body continued to contort. Tears flowed from Uptime Katara's eyes as she looked at everyone. "You didn't see what she did! You didn't see what they did. The people they murdered. They took everything from me! They took everyone I loved! They killed everyone! They killed Aang!"  
  
A terrible feeling came to my gut. Not just to mine. Asami's face went ashen with fear. "Is Aang...?", she managed.  
  
Uptime Katara nodded. "He'll be okay. I made sure of that. Just like I am now." She twisted her hands a bit and Zhang let out another garbled scream. "Just a little more pressure..."  
  
'Katara, please." Asami stepped up to her. "Please, you can't do this. It's wrong, and you know it's wrong."  
  
"I'm not sure I know anything anymore."  
  
I swallowed. Katara had always had one of those personalities that, if she was ever driven too far, could easily become vindictive and cruel. And Xuandi and his people had done everything to send her over the edge.  
  
Asami shook her head. "That's not true. You still know right from wrong. You're just... I know how angry you feel..." Now she was getting tears in her eyes.  
  
Katara glared at her. " _You don't know a thing about my anger!_ "  
  
" _Yes I do!_ ," Asami retorted. " _I watched...._ " For a moment her voice failed her.  
  
Another strangled cry came from Zhang, suffering in her contorted state. Downtime Katara stood and looked ready to use her own bloodbending, as much as she hated it, to stop this. But I grabbed her on the shoulder first and, when she looked up at me, I shook her head. "Let them talk," I urged quietly.  
  
"They destroyed Korra," Asami said. I watched her fists clench in frustration. In anger. "They wiped her from existence. And I hate them for it. I hate them _so much..._ I _do_ understand what you're saying. They took Aang from you..." She choked back a sob. "...and they took Korra from me."  
  
Opal stepped up toward her. "...Asami? What are you saying...?"  
  
Asami's eyes closed as the tears continued to flow. "I.... _love_ Korra," she admitted. "I love her like you love Aang."  
  
Those from Asami's time simply... stared. And the ones from this time didn't seem to know what to do or what to say.  
  
Uptime Katara said nothing. She did stop trying to tear Zhang's arms out of her sockets, though.  
  
"I want them to pay for what they've done," Asami continued. "I wanted to kill them too, in any way that I could. But it wouldn't end the pain they caused me. If I did something like this" - she held her hand to where Zhang's body was contorted painfully - "I'd be turning against everything Korra believed in. And I wouldn't be able to look her in the eye again. I wouldn't be worthy of her. I'd rather let them go than do something like that. To become someone like that."  
  
"So wait..." Varrick pointed to Asami. "You mean you're act...." He was helpfully muffled by Sokka, who knew how close his sister - or rather this version of her - was to backing down, or to fulfilling the killing she was prepared to do.  
  
"Please... for Aang, your Aang, don't do this," Asami pleaded. "Don't stop being the Katara he loved."  
  
Their tear-filled eyes met again, and they remained so for several tense seconds. Actually, nearly half a minute, come to think of it. And then Katara cried out in aggravation and let her hands slacken. Zhang dropped to the floor, half-unconscious from pain. Bolin quickly bent the Earth to contain her. Asami was there to hug her when she fell to her knees weeping. She guided Uptime Katara back into the TARDIS.  
  
I drew in a sigh of relief. "Now, Lord Zuko, King Kuei?" I held up the scroll. "Let's get this signed before its too late."  
  
Zuko looked up from where he was comforting Mai for her injuries. "Before its too late for what?"  
  
Luckily for me, I was able to point to the sky again, where three more aircraft of different kinds were visible, as well as the primordial pteryodactyl-triceratops from before. The faint image of the Republic City skyscrapers could just be made out as well.  
  
"What... is that?", Kuei asked.  
  
"The future. And the past. That's why they call it a Time Crash," I answered.  
  
"There are still terms that we have to negotiate," Zuko reminded us. "Is the treaty ready to sign as it is?"  
  
I was quickly looking over it, examining the terms and clauses hidden in all that fun formalized diplomatic language. "One of these days," I sighed, "I'm going to teach your world French. If you're going to have a fancy diplomatic prose you might as well use French for it. And I can go around saying ' _Allons-y!_ ' at you a lot. Although I suppose Latin would work..." I ran my finger on the paper. "To be honest, gentlemen, I'm not seeing anything on here of such dire import that it's worth risking the annihilation of your existence."  
  
"Actually, I have a question," Bolin said.  
  
"That is?", I asked, trying not to sound too aggravated.  
  
"We stopped the bad guys," Bolin pointed out. "That means they can't stop the treaty. So why is the whole Time Crash thingie still happening?"  
  
I politely held a hand out. "Because we haven't made it an impossibility yet, Bolin. You may notice we're short one Dai Li mastermind."  
  
That made everyone nervous.  
  
Me especially, since Kuvira was nowhere to be found either.  
  
"Liara?" I looked at her. She had a cut on her left temple and purple Asari blood had oozed out of it, but other than that she looked fine. "Can you please help them go over this? I am going to make sure that Xuandi is being taken care of."  
  
For Bolin's sake, I didn't add that I wanted to make sure Kuvira hadn't yet killed him, or worse.  
  
  
  
  
I followed the devastation up stairs and the like to the rooftop of the palace. The only reason it still existed was because two Earthbenders had been restoring footing for their own use; otherwise I suspect some of the floors would have been rather unstable.  
  
Kuvira and Xuandi were evenly matched, even with Kuvira's metalbending. They exchanged blow after blow, blocked attack after attack, in a deadly ballet of bending talent. I pulled out my sonic disruptor and steadied it on Xuandi. He was so absorbed in his fight he didn't notice me...  
  
Or at least that's what he wanted me to think, given the rock that slammed me from behind. Thank you again, Charity Carpenter, for this lovely vest. It kept the worst of the impact from knocking me senseless. Instead I was merely disorientated.  
  
Xuandi began retreating as I recovered. He recognized he was outnumbered now. More than that, he realized that his lieutenants had failed. "It's over," I told him.  
  
"So I see," he growled.  
  
I pointed out to the sky. "Look, you fool! Look at what you almost caused! That is the evidence! Time is collapsing around us, around this point, because of _your_ doing!"  
  
I could see stubborn anger in his eyes. "All i wanted was justice for my people, Doctor," he said. "Justice for what has been done to us."  
  
"So you say. But now you've brought them to the precipice of _non-existence_. You need to surrender!"  
  
"I cannot." He shook his head. "I am Dai Li. I am a patriot of my poor kingdom. I will not disgrace myself with surrender to an outsider looking to maintain our dishonor."  
  
"You're being a bloody fool."  
  
"General Kuvira." Xuandi looked to her. "You fight with spirit. Perhaps... perhaps my ways are doomed to fail. The virtues of our people have grown so weak over the last centuries of war and dishonorable peace. Perhaps our only hope is your vision of our future. I disapprove of your ways, but if mine are to fall then at least I can be assured our people will be properly avenged."  
  
Kuvira looked ready to strike at him. "You should have joined me voluntarily, Xuandi," she said. "You shouldn't have stayed in my way."  
  
"I acted as I must. Just as you do." He grinned slightly. "I think we are two of a kind, General Kuvira. May our ancestors bless your efforts with success." He took a step backward, and another step... and I realized what he was doing.  
  
"Wait!", I cried, holding my hand up. "I still have questions! How?! How did you use the manipulator?! How did you know how it works?!"  
  
Xuandi laughed at me. "You are clever Time Lord. Perhaps too clever. Why don't you think about it? It may prove an _interesting_ diversion for you."  
  
Before I could jump to grab him, Xuandi threw himself from the roof. I looked over the ledge and saw his broken body on the ground below.  
  
And then things happened. I felt the change in the energy in the air. The Triceradactyl disappeared, as did the planes, as did the phantom skyscrapers and buildings that seemed so close to becoming tangible. I breathed out a sigh of relief. "There it is," I said. "The Time Crash is dissipating. Your world and timeline are intact again."  
  
"That's good." She looked at me intently. "So when we get back...?"  
  
"Oh, everyone will be there," I assured her. "To them, well, maybe they'll remember the Time Crash, or maybe they won't. But they'll be back to normal."  
  
Her controlled expression softened slightly. Kuvira was relieved. "That's what I came to do," she said. "We should head back."  
  
"Yes, yes we should," I agreed. I motioned to the stairs for her to head down. She eyed me for a moment and did so.  
  
Yes, I wasn't exactly going to trust her in this circumstance. Not after our earlier conversation. And especially not now. With Xuandi gone, the last obstacle to her securing the Earth Kingdom was eliminated. Her road to unification was clear.  
  
Alright, I was wrong. Aside from me, there was one obstacle left for her, if it was an obstacle. And we had already discussed that. If Korra stood against Kuvira... all bets would be off.  
  
  
  
  
With Earthbenders, repairing the palace took almost no time at all. Security was trebled by matter of course, but nothing else interfered with the formal signing of the treaty creating the Republic.  
  
Well, re-signing I should say, given that Zuko and Kuei had signed the original copy during my discussion with Xuandi.  
  
We did indeed watch, but from within the cloaked TARDIS, keeping an eye out for any unexpected tricks from the Dai Li. We weren't about to fumble the entire situation now that we'd stopped the worst of it.  
  
After all of that was said and done, Aang and his friends walked up to us. "Thank you very much," the young Avatar said, smiling in a way that painfully reminded me of Korra. "You saved our world."  
  
"It's a habit of mine," I professed. "Granted, sometimes I aim small and only save cities."  
  
"And then there are times he saves galaxies," Liara pointed out drolly. "Like mine."  
  
They nodded. "So, what's the future like?", Toph asked. "Am I going to get a statue or something? I'd better."  
  
I exchanged looks with Liara and then gave one to Bolin to make sure he knew not to say much. "Tricky thing, Miss Beifong. Talking about the future. I tell you the future, it might influence your decisions and change it. Then I end up running from a Time Crash again. Safer if you find it out on your own, eh?"  
  
"Now where's the fun in that?", she asked.  
  
"I'm just glad there is a future like yours," Zuko said. "With people of all nations living together in harmony."  
  
"It won't be easy," I said. "Not for you to create."  
  
"My Uncle would say the best things are never easy to make, and never should be," Zuko observed.  
  
"Doctor." Katara looked at me sadly. "What happened to the... other me?"  
  
I frowned. I raised my head and sighed. "She belonged to a timeline that no longer came to be, Katara. Like a river that's dammed up suddenly at the source."  
  
"I see," Katara answered. "I... I hope she finds peace, then."  
  
"As do all of us, i suspect," was my reply.  
  
After that moment of seriousness, we were provided with a moment of levity. "I have to admit..." Sokka put his hand on his chin. "I wouldn't mind getting to see the future some time. I mean, to see what kind of new machines are built, that sort of thing."  
  
"And to sample their food," Katara said, grinning.  
  
"Oh yeah, and that. I gotta tell you, I think that with the right machines, it can change how meat is prepared forever!"  
  
"Well, you'll see one day," I said. "Anyway, it was fun and all, but we really must get going. Oh, and..." I knelt in a little. "Remember, we were never hear. This was just some rogue Dai Li attack that you put down quickly. It'll be necessary to make sure the future of this world stays on track."  
  
"Right." Aang nodded.  
  
I narrowed my eyes. "You're not crossing your fingers behind your back, are you?"  
  
"Who, me?" He smiled. "Not at all."  
  
"Aang..." Katara crossed her arms and gave him a playful glare.  
  
"Alright," he conceded.  
  
"Good. Because I'll know if you did anything." I stepped back into the TARDIS and gave a little bow. "An honor and a privilege, Avatar Aang," I said before closing the door to the TARDIS.  
  
"Time to go back," Bolin said. I could see the hope in his eyes. I smiled and nodded as I reached for the TARDIS lever. A quick calculation and... there we were.  
  
  
  
  
When we stepped out of the TARDIS, the conference room looked like a mess. Unconscious Dai Li agents were everywhere. Well, almost. There was one left standing. He didn't remain standing for long, however, as Mako caught him with a wicked punch and sent him down. "Korra!", he shouted, looking over to where she was still trapped under the debris. He ran toward her.  
  
We all did. Bolin brought his hands up and easily pulled the slab of stone off with his bending, freeing Korra's arms and legs. I started doing a quick scan to make sure she wasn't injured badly. "Alright, let's get her up," I said. "Just a little bruised."  
  
By this point Kuvira had gone over to Bataar, still injured. Jinora embraced Tenzin with tears in her eyes.  
  
And Asami... she stepped out of the TARDIS and fixed her eyes on Korra. "You're okay," she said gently. She gave up and ran up to her, embracing Korra tightly. "You're alright."  
  
"Woh, Asami. It wasn't that heavy a slab. It just fell on me." Korra blinked. "Wait, what happened? Why did everyone suddenly come out of the TARDIS?"  
  
"You mean you don't remember?", Asami asked.  
  
"Remember what? I mean, I got pinned, then the TARDIS disappeared and re-appeared, and now you're..." Korra pulled a bit away. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm just... glad you're okay," Asami said, choking on her emotions and suddenly looking very uncertain.  
  
"We had to stop Xuandi," I explained. "He interfered with the past. Thankfully, we managed to keep him from altering history."  
  
"I remember him disappearing and the Dai Li attacking," Korra said. "but I don't... what happened afterward?"  
  
"Oh... nothing much," I lied. "A few of us went into the past while you fought the Dai Li. You just don't remember due to timey-wimey stuff."  
  
"You're always going to use that excuse, aren't you?", Korra sighed.  
  
"It's what the phrase was invented for!", I answered cheerfully. "Now, I would argue that this meeting's purpose is now rather moot. Xuandi and Guan are dead in the past. Only Zhang survived." I indicated to where Opal and Liara were bringing her out in restraints. I noticed Opal's eyes soften at seeing Bataar alive, just to grow cold again at seeing him hug Kuvira tightly. Oi, that situation was _complicated_. "Now..."  
  
"I can't believe this!" Raiko's outburst made us all turn. "This proceeding has made a mockery of the Republic." He glared anger at Korra. "You've.... Avatar Korra, I've tried to be patient, but right now I want one good reason not to expel you from the Republic again!"  
  
Asami's eyes flashed with anger. "I'll give you..."  
  
I stepped between them and held up a hand. "Let's not get into that. As it turns out, I've got a very good reason for you to consider it, Raiko."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"This isn't like the time after Harmonic Convergence. Korra was asking legitimate questions about Kuvira's government and purpose. People will realize that, even if they're supporters of Kuvira. They'll acknowledge the fact that Korra called the conference to reconcile what she thought were legitimate grievances and differences and know that was something well within her purview. If you act against her, you'll be gutting your own government." I stepped up even closer to him. "And finally, one last reason. If you were to do that to Korra, I would be most upset with you."  
  
"Are you threatening me?", Raiko demanded.  
  
"I don't threaten. Threats aren't my thing. Threats imply there's a chance I _won't_ act."  
  
"I don't take kindly to..."  
  
"Six words," I said.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Six words," I repeated. "Six words and I can destroy your Presidency, Raiko. Now, with all of the press you're about to get over this conference, _do you really want to risk it?_ "  
  
He seemed to consider that for a moment. I got a terse reply of a nod form him. "Alright. I'll back down on this, _for now_ , but I expect Korra to stay out of our political dealings or those of the other nations. It's not her place to decide who should be in charge of what."  
  
"Fair enough," I said. I didn't agree, but with the tension in the room I knew it had to be handled quickly.  
  
"Fine." Raiko nodded. "I hereby dissolve this conference. Thank you for your assistance, all of you." He turned and angrily stalked out of the room.  
  
"We should get the prisoner to Chief Beifong," Mako said. "But after that..."  
  
"After that...!" Wu moved in, smiling his silly smile and trying to play himself up as something he wasn't. "....there are some excellent restaurants in the city that I know of. And it will be _my_ treat. All of you are invited!"  
  
Several of us exchanged looks. I finally sighed. "I am famished," I admitted. "What's the harm in a meal?"  
  
Mako made a horrified face at me and motioned at the others to turn him down, but none of them did. He groaned. And I suddenly had the feeling it was a bad decision.  
  
Well, all right, the night didn't turn out quite as badly as it might have. Well, except for the mix-up with the waiters, and Wu's further nauseating attempts to hit on Liara, and.... alright, the evening was quite aggravating, all things told.  
  
But at least the food was good.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our narrator wraps up his visit to Republic City and seals the Crack, Asami gets a little help with her project (Well, okay, a lot of help), and a new Companion joins our narrator and Liara in the TARDIS.

After dinner I made a couple of trips. Most important was dealing with the Crack in Republic City's underground tunnels. Korra and Asami joined Liara and myself for the trip, which was good as it gave me the manpower - or womanpower, rather - to deal with it easily.  
  
The Dai Li had abandoned the station rather completely, leaving only the wrecks of the mechasuits we had disabled and destroyed. After the Crack snapped close we took a moment to look around. "Lin's people should be coming down tonight," Asami said. "They'll clear everything out."  
  
"Wise," I said. I walked around and considered the item I now held in my hand. The vortex manipulator was now inactive - I made sure of that - and still provided a puzzle. Xuandi's final words continued to flash through my mind. "There are still questions, though."  
  
"You're worried about how Xuandi learned to use the manipulator." Liara stepped up beside me. "Maybe its security was disabled?"  
  
"Perhaps. No security, it mistakes him for a proper user, that sort of thing." I sighed and looked at her. "But you've seen what things are like with me. When is it ever that simple?"  
  
Liara frowned and nodded. "Right. Of course."  
  
I scanned around again with the sonic screwdriver and sighed. "Well, nothing to find here. Maybe we should..." I turned back and saw Korra and Asami standing by themselves, talking. "...well, give them some privacy." I raised my voice. "Well, let's get going then. We can head back to the mansion and get a good night's sleep, yes?"  
  
  
  
  
The following day Kuvira and her entourage were piling onto one of the trains leading out of the city. Bolin was with her, of course, and the others came to see him off. Even Opal, although I got the feeling it made her immensely uncomfortable.  
  
"My little brother, the war hero." Mako gave him a pat on the back. "You've come a long way, Bolin. I'm proud of you. I'm sure you'll get the Earth Kingdom up and running again. Then you can come home and tell us all about it."  
  
"He'd better not!", Varrick shouted, coming up and hooking an arm around Bolin's neck. "He'll need to leave that to the writers! I can just see the movers we can make about Bolin and his adventures, how a young orphan from Republic City became a star pro bender, a mover star, and a war hero! We'll have the audiences hooked!"  
  
"Uh, yeah?" Bolin smiled slightly uncomfortably.  
  
"Well, you wouldn't be the first veteran to become an actor," I remarked, clasping hands with him. "Do take care of yourself."  
  
Opal was the last to say goodbye. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bolin, I know you're trying to do the right thing, just... make sure to be true to yourself, okay? Don't let anyone take that from you."  
  
"Uh, okay?" was Bolin's confused answer. "I'm not sure anyone is trying."  
  
I kept my sentiment off my face. I could think of one person who _would_ try to change him in order to make full use of him as a propaganda tool.  
  
I didn't speak to Kuvira again. But we did get a good long look at each other. She nodded and I nodded back. We had been partners in this affair, working together to save the things we cherished. But we both knew this was temporary. The next time we met, it was entirely possible I would be trying to stop her. And the look in her eyes was a warning to me that she would run me right over if I got in her way. I returned it with a slight smile. A dare, really. I would, indeed, like to see her _try._  
  
I didn't hate her, though. She had good qualities. She reminded me of Korra, certainly, and also of Janias. But there was a kernel of something dark inside of her. A desire for control, I thought. A need to impose reliability and order upon a world that often lacked it. Something had moved her toward that impulse, and whatever it was, I couldn't help but consider it dangerous.  
  
I had little idea how dangerous she would get, though.  
  
  
  
  
With everyone off doing their work, I had a chance to sit down with Korra in the park, right by her new and freshly-cleaned statue, and talk about the past few days. "So... I was actually erased?", she asked.  
  
"Well, were. It's all bit complicated, really. Once we averted the Time Crash and prevented the aborted timeline Xuandi would have made, that never happened. From your perspective anyway."  
  
"Right." Korra frowned and looked away.  
  
"You've got that frown again," I noted. "I spent months getting that frown to stop showing up, don't go bringing it back on me. You might undermine my confidence."  
  
That caused an amused chuckle, at least, and the frown turned into a slight smile. "How much of this is my fault?", she asked. "I started the whole mess by talking about Kuvira."  
  
"You were doing the right thing," I answered. "There are elements of Kuvira's policies that need questioning. Kuvira's the sort of personality who needs someone who can tell her the word ''No', or there's nothing she's not capable of."  
  
"Maybe. But maybe I'm also not realizing how bad things are in the Earth Kingdom. Maybe Kuvira's just having to do something necessary to stop the suffering."  
  
"Thinking of joining her, then?"  
  
"No. No, I can't." Korra looked to her side and to the mountains, beyond which lay the Earth Kingdom's borders. "But maybe I need to go see what's going on for myself. I can travel the Earth Kingdom."  
  
"An interesting decision. It might be best, though, to visit the Fire Nation first? And your cousins up north? Give it time so Kuvira will let down her guard. If she feels you're coming immediately, she could try to distort things."  
  
"Yes. That's a good idea."  
  
"Got anyone who will go with you?"  
  
"I can't ask Asami or Mako because of the jobs they're doing," Korra answered. "Opal and Jinora are too busy with the Airbenders. Maybe it's better if I go alone anyway. I've got some things to think about."  
  
"indeed?" I smiled back. "They wouldn't happen to involve Asami?"  
  
Her cheeks reddened. "Um... maybe."  
  
"Ah." I chuckled. "Well, good luck with that. If anything's been proven in the last couple of days, it's that I can be an oblivious fool sometimes."  
  
"Can I ask you a question, Doctor?"  
  
I nodded. "Sure."  
  
"That armored suit Asami was using, was that something you gave her or...? I mean... was that the reason she's been so...?"  
  
Hrm. Tight spot there, wasn't it? I nodded. "I gave her some technology that she could use to make the world better. She realized she could do something else with it. But I'd rather not go into her motives. That's for her to explain."  
  
"I don't think she wants to talk," Korra sighed.  
  
"Oh, she does, she's just really afraid of it," I replied. "Such is the way of people sometimes. If you want my advice, Korra... go talk to her. Before you leave, I mean. Discuss whatever it is you've got on your mind and let her respond. I think you'll both feel better then."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"I _know_ so." I smirked. "And you know that I know _everything_ , right?"  
  
She barked out an amused laugh. "Didn't you just say you could be an oblivious fool?"  
  
"I did indeed." I nodded to indicate my concession. And then I faced her and added, smiling, "Mostly in the affairs of the heart. Or hearts in my case."  
  
She laughed again.  
  
"You could always start the conversation over Nar Shaddaa. You never did destroy those servant clothes."  
  
Korra's cheeks flushed a deeper red and she glared at me. "Now you're just teasing."  
  
"Teasing is always fun," I replied haughtily.  
  
"Do you think she'll be angry at me for wanting to leave the city again?", Korra asked.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. You're the Avatar and she knows the responsibilities that carries. Just as long as you stay in contact with her, I think she'll understand, yes?" I stood up from the bench. "Why don't we head back to the house? You can settle in and be ready to see her."  
  
"Okay." Korra gave me a look. "And what are you going to be doing?"  
  
I smiled slightly. "Oh, I have plans of my own. A project I'll need the night to complete. Should be done in the morning, you can come with Asami if you want to see it. She'll know where I am."  
  
  
  
  
For me, it was more than just one night. But I'm a time traveler and I get to do fun things like that.  
  
I was waiting for Asami when she got to the shed. Korra stepped in behind her. I glanced long enough to see that yes, they were holding hands. They must have had quite the interesting conversation. "You're using your Dad's old underground factory?", Korra asked.  
  
"I needed the private space," Asami answered.  
  
Nothing more was said until we were underground. "I'm sorry," Asami said as we neared our destination. "To both of you."  
  
"No need for apologies, Asami," I replied. "I understand your motives. But I trust you understand what this last adventure has proven?"  
  
"I don't need the suits," Asami answered. And I thought I saw Korra's hand squeeze her's a bit. In a supportive way. "And I'm okay with it if you dismantled them."  
  
"Well, that's very kind of you, Asami." I opened the door and let them in. "Let's talk about that."  
  
Inside most of her things were laid out as before, save that they'd clearly been worked on. The Mark I and Mark II suits were laid up in their usual spot on the wall. The Mark III, however, was not.  
  
It was instead in the center of the work area, the pieces held in place by computer-controlled arms. It had been painted in the red and black color scheme Asami had always been partial to. And where before it had clearly been half-completed, now it was clearly a finished work.  
  
A figure turned beside the main work station. "Ah, there you are. I've got to admit, you've done so pretty good work with what you've got on hand, Miss Sato." Tony Stark waved a hand. There was a flicker that crossed through him, revealing he was a hologram.  
  
"Stark?" Asami blinked and looked from him to the suit. , "What...? How?"  
  
"Oh, our Time Lord friend set up his communications system to let me do a holographic inspection of your work area," Stark answered. "Like I said, I'm impressed. I really like the set up on the control circuitry. You've gotten an extra twenty percent effectiveness over mine."  
  
"Well, I... I needed it," Asami managed. "I don't have access to your materials on my world. We don't have the ability to produce the alloys you use."  
  
"Yeah. Which is why it's so impressive. I hope you don't mind if I adapt the design work into my next model? I'll make sure to call it Satotech circuitry."  
  
"Does it check out?", I asked.  
  
"Yeah. I think we did good with it. All systems are good."  
  
"Ah, good. And the assistance?"  
  
"JARVIS?"  
  
" _I am online, Mister Stark._ " The voice came from the suit and the main table.  
  
Seeing the surprise on the faces of Korra and Asami, I turned and explained, "Asami is still learning her way through the idea of software coding. I thought it best if Tony and I provided the suit and this arrangement with an AI helper of sorts to provide information." After I said that I turned to Stark and said, _sotto voce_ , "You named him for your butler?"  
  
Stark shrugged. "I thought it fit."  
  
I mused briefly on how JARVIS existed like this in different fifth dimensional tracks instead of being a butler, but decided against it.  
  
"I..." Asami took a moment to regain her voice. She had walked up to the Mark III and was running her hand along the chest piece. "This is... it's your suit, right?"  
  
"No, it's your's," Stark said. "I just showed the Doctor here what he could do to improve your Mark III to match my specs. It took us what...?"  
  
"Oh, a couple of days," I said. "Working in Stark's labs. I brought it back when we were done." I leaned next to Stark again. "I thought we were going to use the female voice for it?", I asked quietly.  
  
"JARVIS, alter profile to JANET."  
  
The voice changed to a female voice that didn't sound very different from Korra's voice. " _Acknowledged, Mister Stark._ "  
  
"Why did you do this?", Asami asked, finding her voice again.  
  
"Why not?", I asked back. "As I said, I wasn't against you using it for this purpose precisely, I didn't like how you went about it. But you can do a lot of good with this, Asami. A _lot_ of good. I can even make sure you never have to worry about missing a fight where Korra needs you. Korra, your temporal beacon, do you have it?"  
  
"Oh? Wait..." She reached into a pocket. "I always keep it with me."  
  
I wasn't surprised, given grabbing it had ensured we rescued her from that second attempt by the Red Lotus to poison her with mercury. "Hit the emergency button on it, will you?", I asked.  
  
She did so. I knew that at that moment my TARDIS control console was giving off a tone. A similar tone came from the sonic screwdriver in my pocket.  
  
But it was drowned out by the solid tone coming from the suit and from the control holotable. A holographic representation of this planet popped up and zoomed in on one corner of the display to show the Sato mansion.  
  
"Your systems will alert you to Korra calling for help. And given the speed of the armor, its atmospheric re-entry capability, and such, well, there's not a spot on this world you can't easily get to."  
  
Asami stared at us for a few moments. "I... I don't know what to say.... I mean, other than to thank you both."  
  
" _You're welcome._ " Stark appeared momentarily distracted. " _And that was the alarm. Looks like it's time for me to armor up. Let me know how it works!_ " The image flickered and disappeared.  
  
"Hey Asami." Korra nudged Asami in the arm. "Why don't you go try it?"  
  
"Huh?" She blinked. "Well, I... I don't see why not?"  
  
"Go ahead," Korra urged her. "I want to see it." There was a wide smile on Korra's face. I saw her reach over and give Asami's hand a supportive squeeze.  
  
Asami nodded and smiled back. "Okay. I will."  
  
I stepped to the side and watched her walk up to the platform where the launch systems held the armor in place. She turned to face us and reached her arms out to fit into the waiting gauntlets. The systems came to life. " _Armor activation sequence, start_ ," said "JANET", as the arms started moving the interlocking pieces of the armored together. Whirring and clicking of the metallic variety sounded throughout the cavernous chamber as the armor pieces locked into each other and fitted into place. The helmet went on last. It was a clear plate model that showed Asami's face, although she did have an option to tint it. I didn't think she'd particularly go for Stark's kind of face design on his helmets.  
  
Once the last bit was in place and secure Asami tromped off the launch platform. She moved her limbs around. "I never thought I'd ever get the suits to move this smoothly," she said, her voice coming through the external speakers with a bit of a buzzing sound.  
  
Korra stepped up next to me. "I think you look great."  
  
I held up the sonic screwdriver and opened the roof for her. "Well, go ahead and give the armor a test flight?"  
  
"Okay, here we go!" Asami held her palms out and the repulsors fired in flight control mode. She flew upward and was into the open blue sky in seconds.  
  
Korra and I took the other way back out. By the time we were outside of the house we could make out Asami trying various maneuvers, testing the suit's control surfaces and such. I looked over and saw tears in Korra's eyes. "You're happy for her?"  
  
I was answered by a nod. "I never knew how much it hurt her. Always being left behind. Now we won't have to do that any more."  
  
"That's the point of it all." I cleared my throat. "I do believe Asami keeps a couple of those new Airbender wing suits in the storage room."  
  
"Huh? Oh! Thanks, Doctor!" That drew a smile from Korra, who dashed inside. A couple of minutes later she emerged, wearing the new wingsuit, and went airborne in seconds, laughing as she raced up in the sky toward where Asami was hovering around. They met in mid-air and started circling each other like it was some intricate dance in the sky.  
  
Liara stepped up beside me. "They look happy."  
  
"Yes." I nodded and grinned. "They deserve it." I drew in a sigh. "Well. I'll go leave them a goodbye note and we can head off. That won't be quite so easy, I think."  
  
"Probably not," Liara agreed, frowning. but the frown didn't stay as, despite my words, we stayed and watched them continue to fly. As they flew low I stepped into the TARDIS and waved up. I heard a pair of shouts as they went over our heads. Content that this was a sufficient goodbye, I joined Liara inside.  
  
We had one final stop to make.  
  
  
  
  
Under the parka, only my face felt cold as I walked up to a single figure in the twilight sky of the South Pole. A wizened face turned toward me, complete with familiar hair loops. "You're back," Katara said.  
  
"That I am," I answered. "How hard was it for you?", I asked. I quickly added, "To hide the fact that we met before?"  
  
She smiled gently. "There were times I wondered if it would make you feel better. You were in such a terrible place when you last lived here. Knowing you would one day recover and reclaim your name might have hastened your recovery. But I decided it was too great a risk, and besides that, it would not be a proper way for you to recover."  
  
"Yes. Thank you for that, Katara." I looked further on, toward a lone figure standing alone in the cold. "How is she?"  
  
"What you would expect. She is full of anger and regrets and grief. A great many terrible feelings."  
  
"I imagined such. Do you think she'll get better?"  
  
"Not if she stays here. She's being kind to me, but I think she feels a little resentment. After all, I lived the life she wanted. A life she can't have." Katara looked at me with concern. "I think that you might be the only one who can give her any measure of peace."  
  
I sighed and shook my head. "I'm not so sure of that. But I'll try."  
  
I trudged up through the snow to where the lone figure was standing in the bitter wind, not betraying any discomfort. "Katara?", I asked gently.  
  
"You said I'd vanish," the younger Katara, the survivor of the Dai Li massacre that never happened, said. "That my timeline was gone. But I'm still here."  
  
"Yes." I sighed. "I... didn't think it'd happen his way. But apparently the TARDIS shielded you from the timeline change, and you changed as a person enough that merger with the other Katara wouldn't happen. You instead became a Time Orphan of sorts. A person from a timeline that no longer exists."  
  
"So I'm... stuck here?", she asked. "A copy in this world? A _spare_ Katara?"  
  
I drew in a breath and watched mist come from my face as I breathed it out. "There is an alternative," I offered.  
  
Her voice was hard. "And what's that?"  
  
"Come with me," I said. "Join me in the TARDIS."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, I might find you a new place. Somewhere that you'll be happy."  
  
That provoked a bitter laugh. "I'll never be happy again," Katara swore. "I _can't_."  
  
I almost pointed out she was wrong. But I knew from experience that was a feeling she would have to discover on her own. "Is that a 'no'?", I asked gently.  
  
For a time there was nothing but silence. She turned to me after it. The scar was still visible on the right side of her face, along the cheek. I didn't see any of the usual compassion or understanding in her cold blue eyes. Just nothing but dull, frozen pain. Pain I had already endured in my own time. "I'll come with you. But only because there's nothing for me here."  
  
All I could give as an answer was a quiet nod. I exchanged another one with the older Katara as we walked past. She then bowed her head at me as a gesture of respect as I led her younger counterpart to the TARDIS. Inside some clothes and things donated by the elder Katara and others were waiting for her. Katara took them up and silently stalked off. "Third hall on the right, second door on the right from there, can't miss it!", I called out to her. When I received no answer I hefted out another sigh, this one deeper, and leaned back against the TARDIS rail.  
  
Liara came up from below. "She's going to be hard to work with," Liara said.  
  
"I know." I nodded. "But I think it's worth it. Do you agree?"  
  
Liara looked at me. Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires. "Yes." She nodded. "I agree completely."  
  
"Well. I suppose this trip was an eventful one." I flipped a few switches. "Well, except for not examining that Crack. I couldn't take risks with it. Not when we have unanswered questions."  
  
"You mean, how did a man from this world learn to use one of those vortex manipulators?", Liara inquired Socratically.  
  
"Exactly." I snapped my fingers. "We'll find another one yet, won't we?"  
  
"I would think so," Liara agreed.  
  
"Right. Well." I clapped my hands. "I think it's time we're off." I reached for the TARDIS activation lever. As I felt my fingers curl around it, I looked back to the hallway Katara had taken to leave the control room. Her presence could complicate things, especially given her current dark mood.  
  
But somehow I felt a burst of optimism. I'd find a way to get her to smile. I was certain of that. She may never be the Katara she once was, but she would find something new in her life. A new future.  
  
Because where there is life, there is always hope.  
  
And if there was one aspect of her character that I knew would eventually come out, it was Katara's capacity for hope.  
  
I chose to believe in it too. For her sake.  
  
For all of our sakes.  
  



End file.
